Prevotella timonensis Bacteria Associated With Vaginal Dysbiosis Enhance Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Susceptibility Of Vaginal CD4 + T Cells

Nienke H van Teijlingen, Marleen Y van Smoorenburg, Ramin Sarrami-Forooshani, Esther M Zijlstra-Willems, John L van Hamme, Hanneke Borgdorff, Janneke Hhm van de Wijgert, Elisabeth van Leeuwen, Joris A M van der Post, Karin Strijbis, Carla M S Ribeiro, Teunis B H Geijtenbeek

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiome poses a serious risk for sexual human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmission. Prevotella spp are abundant during vaginal dysbiosis and associated with enhanced HIV-1 susceptibility; however, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the direct effect of vaginal bacteria on HIV-1 susceptibility of vaginal CD4 + T cells. Notably, pre-exposure to Prevotella timonensis enhanced HIV-1 uptake by vaginal T cells, leading to increased viral fusion and enhanced virus production. Pre-exposure to antiretroviral inhibitors abolished P timonensis–enhanced infection. Our study shows that the vaginal microbiome directly affects mucosal CD4 + T-cell susceptibility, emphasizing importance of vaginal dysbiosis diagnosis and treatment.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberdoi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiae166
Pages (from-to)e43-e47
JournalThe Journal of infectious diseases
Volume230
Issue number1
Early online date4 Apr 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Jul 2024

Keywords

  • CD4 T cells
  • HIV-1 susceptibility
  • Prevotella timonensis
  • microbiome
  • vaginal dysbiosis

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