Gastrointestinal tract as a major site of CD4+ T cell depletion and viral replication in SIV infection.

Veazey, R S; DeMaria, M; Chalifoux, L V; Shvetz, D E; Pauley, D R; Knight, H L; Rosenzweig, M; Johnson, R P et al. · Science · 1998

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Human and simian immunodeficiency virus (HIV and SIV) replicate optimally in activated memory CD4(+) T cells, a cell type that is abundant in the intestine. SIV infection of rhesus monkeys resulted in profound and selective depletion of CD4+ T cells in the intestine within days of infection, before any such changes in peripheral lymphoid tissues. The loss of CD4+ T cells in the intestine occurred coincident with productive infection of large numbers of mononuclear cells at this site. The intestine appears to be a major target for SIV replication and the major site of CD4+ T cell loss in early SIV infection.

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