When HIV Doesn't Make You Sick (Emory)
New Research Shows a Handful of Humans with HIV Can Cope Similarly to AIDS-Resistant Monkeys
For a few people, HIV appears to be just another virus. These rare individuals, called viremic nonprogressors (VNPs), can tolerate high levels of HIV in the body without the immune system going into overdrive. Similarly, some types of Old World monkeys, such as sooty mangabeys, have the ability to withstand infection by SIV, the cousin of HIV, and not end up with crippled immune systems.
A detailed survey of the genes turned on and off in immune cells shows similar patterns in cells from VNPs and from SIV-infected sooty mangabeys. The results were published May 9 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
“This result shows that there are parallels between viremic nonprogressors and SIV-infected sooty mangabeys, and confirms the clinical relevance of studying sooty mangabeys as a model of HIV/AIDS,” says co-author Guido Silvestri, MD, chief of microbiology and immunology at Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar.
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Complete article at Emory : http://bit.ly/mM47GA
