Limited secretory-IgA response in cervicovaginal secretions from HIV-1 infected, but not high risk seronegative women: lack of correlation to genital viral shedding

The presence and antigen specificity of IgG and secretory-IgA (s-IgA) to HIV-1 were evaluated in cervicovaginal lavages (CVL) from 26 infected and 10 high-risk seronegative women. All the seropositive women had detectable IgG recognizing several viral antigens, while a smaller percentage of women de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe New microbiologica Vol. 23; no. 1; p. 85
Main Authors Fiore, J R, Laddago, V, Lepera, A, La Grasta, L, Di Stefano, M, Saracino, A, Lopalco, P, Pastore, G, Angarano, G
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Italy 01.01.2000
Subjects
Cervix Uteri - immunology
Cervix Uteri - virology
Female
HIV Antibodies - analysis
HIV Antibodies - immunology
HIV Infections - immunology
HIV Infections - virology
HIV Seronegativity
HIV-1 - immunology
HIV-1 - physiology
Humans
Immunity, Mucosal
Immunoglobulin A, Secretory - analysis
Immunoglobulin A, Secretory - immunology
Immunoglobulin G - immunology
Immunoglobulin G - metabolism
Risk Factors
RNA, Viral - analysis
Vagina - immunology
Vagina - virology
Viral Load
Virus Shedding
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Summary:The presence and antigen specificity of IgG and secretory-IgA (s-IgA) to HIV-1 were evaluated in cervicovaginal lavages (CVL) from 26 infected and 10 high-risk seronegative women. All the seropositive women had detectable IgG recognizing several viral antigens, while a smaller percentage of women demonstrated s-IgA to the virus. In addition, s-IgA were of limited specificity and provided weak reactivities on Immunoblot bands; an almost constant absence of s-IgA to gp120 was also observed. Neither the presence nor the specificity of either IgG or s-IgA to the virus in CVL prevented the shedding of HIV-1 in this body fluid; in fact, viral RNA was detected in all the women studied and the amounts of viral shedding was unrelated to the genital antibody response. On the other hand, none of the high-risk seronegative women had detectable antibodies to HIV-1 in CVL of either the IgG or s-IgA isotype. Our results a) confirm an impairment of mucosal antibody response during HIV-1 infection and suggest that mucosal immunity is not able to prevent viral shedding in the female genital tract and thus cannot modulate the infectivity of genital secretions; aa) do not provide evidence for a mucosal "memory/protective" antibody response in the genital tract of high-risk seronegative women.
ISSN:1121-7138