Prevotella timonensis Bacteria Associated With Vaginal Dysbiosis Enhance Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Susceptibility Of Vaginal CD4+ T Cells.

van Teijlingen, Nienke H; van Smoorenburg, Marleen Y; Sarrami-Forooshani, Ramin; Zijlstra-Willems, Esther M; van Hamme, John L; Borgdorff, Hanneke; van de Wijgert, Janneke H H M; van Leeuwen, Elisabeth et al. · J Infect Dis · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiome poses a serious risk for sexual human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmission. Prevotella spp are abundant during vaginal dysbiosis and associated with enhanced HIV-1 susceptibility; however, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the direct effect of vaginal bacteria on HIV-1 susceptibility of vaginal CD4+ T cells. Notably, pre-exposure to Prevotella timonensis enhanced HIV-1 uptake by vaginal T cells, leading to increased viral fusion and enhanced virus production. Pre-exposure to antiretroviral inhibitors abolished P timonensis-enhanced infection. Our study shows that the vaginal microbiome directly affects mucosal CD4+ T-cell susceptibility, emphasizing importance of vaginal dysbiosis diagnosis and treatment.

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