Authors: Cotugno N, Morrocchi E, Rinaldi S, et al; EPIICAL Consortium.
Published in: AIDS. 2020 Feb 3.
Objective To investigate long-term persistence of HIV-specific lymphocyte immunity in perinatally HIV-infected children treated within the first year of life.
Design Twenty perinatally HIV-infected children who received ART therapy within the first year of life (early treated) and with stable viral control (>5 years) were grouped according to their serological response to HIV.
Methods Western blot analysis and ELISA defined 14 HIV-seropositive and 6 seronegative patients. Frequencies of gp140-specific T-cell and B-cell, and T-cell cytokine production were quantified by flow cytometry in both seronegatives and seropositives. Transcriptional signatures in purified gp140-specific B-cell subsets, in response to in-vitro stimulation with HIV peptides was evaluated by multiplex RT-PCR.