Acute Epstein-Barr virus infection increases susceptibility to HIV

Patients acutely infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) face an increase susceptibility to HIV infection, according to a report in the November Journal of Medical Virology.

Patients acutely infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) face an increase susceptibility to HIV infection, according to a report in the November Journal of Medical Virology.EBV causes infectious mononucleosis, in which CD4 and CD8 T cells become activated, the authors explain. EBV infection has not previously been associated with HIV infection.Dr. Masako Moriuchi and Dr. Hiroyuki Moriuchi from Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan examined the expression levels of CCR5, a major coreceptor for HIV, and the in vitro susceptibility to R5 HIV-1 of CD4 T cells derived from six patients with infectious mononucleosis.CD4 T cells from patients with acute EBV infection showed markedly increased CCR5 expression compared with control CD4 T cells, the authors report, and expression levels fell to control levels during convalescence.CD4 T cells at the acute phase of infectious mononucleosis also supported R5 HIV-1 infection much more efficiently than did those at convalescent phase, the researchers note. In contrast, CD4 T cells did not support X4 HIV-1 replication at either acute or convalescent phase of EBV infection.”It has been well known that sexually transmitted disease (STD) pathogens can facilitate HIV transmission and enhance HIV replication,” Dr. Hiroyuki Moriuchi told Reuters Health. “However, EBV has not been regarded as such an STD pathogen. Since both EBV and HIV are transmitted via intimate contact such as kissing and sexual intercourse, respectively, we should consider EBV as another STD pathogen that could act as an HIV cofactor.””We are planning to recruit patients with primary HIV infection and monitor viral loads of EBV, as well as HIV, and to investigate if there is any correlation between HIV load and EBV load,” Dr. Moriuchi said. “We should be able to detect EBV viremia if he or she had recently got infected with the virus even though asymptomatic.””We have been working on interactions between HIV and other microbes for years, including HTLV, herpes simplex virus, malaria parasite, tsutsugamushi [scrub typhus], rickettsia, and bacteria,” Dr. Moriuchi added. “Different pathogens can influence HIV infection differently, and better understanding of such interactions may help us establish new preventive and therapeutic strategies against HIV.”(Source: J Med Virol 2003;71:343-346: Will Boggs, MD: November 25, 2003: Oncolink)