Study Finds Our Bodies Are Nearly Defenseless To Hiv Infection

Scientists at Duke University Center for HIV/Aids Vaccine and Immunology have concluded that our own immune systems are nearly worthless in fighting off HIV after the virus first enters our bodies.

Using plasma blood samples that were collected every three days- before, during and after the critical period when HIV reaches acute infection. Researchers were able to track the immune response from the moment of infection until several weeks after transmission.

Georgia Tomaras, PhD and the lead author of the study published in the Journal of Virology, says the earliest immune response occurs eight days after the virus reaches measurable levels in plasma. In most infections, the body forms antibody- coated virus particles to ward off infection. However with HIV, this first line attack appears nearly benign in attacking the invading virus.

"We are conducting additional studies to determine if these early antibodies may actually be encouraging viral replication or if they could be useful in greater numbers to stop the infection" says Tomaras.

When the human body does mount a second attack against the HIV virus, weeks have already passed, long after the virus has irreversibly inserted its genetic code into host genes, which triggers the endless replication of the virus.

Understanding the time frame in which the right kind of immune response might have a chance to be effective in thwarting HIV infection is critical to designing an effective vaccine strategy, says Tomaras. "Most researchers now believe that the window of opportunity for an HIV vaccine to work is very narrow, and we are concerned that this window may close within a few days after transmission"

The study was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Information courtesy Webwire.