T and B-cell perturbations are similar in ART-naïve HIV-1 and HIV-1/2 dually infected patients.

Background: HIV-2 may slow progression of a subsequently acquired HIV-1 infection through cross-neutralizing antibodies and polyfunctional CD8(+) T cells. We hypothesized that HIV-1/2 dually infected patients compared with HIV-1-infected patients had more preserved immune maturation subsets and less immune activation of T and B cells. Methods: ART-naive patients with HIV-1 (n = 83) or HIV-1/2 dual (n = 27) infections were included in this cross-sectional study at an HIV clinic in Guinea-Bissau. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were analyzed by flow cytometry according to T-cell maturation and activation, regulatory T-cell fraction, and B-cell maturation and activation. Results: HIV-1/2 dually infected patients had lower levels of HIV-1 RNA compared with patients with HIV-1 infection, but the levels of total HIV RNA (HIV-1 and HIV-2) were similar in the two patient groups. T-cell maturation, and proportions of regulatory T cells (FoxP3+) were also similar in the two groups. HIV-1/2 dually infected patients had higher proportions of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells positive for the activation marker CD38, but there was no difference in other T-cell activation markers (CD28, CTLA-4, PD-1). HIV-1/2 dually infected patients also had higher proportions of IgM-only B cells and plasmablasts. Conclusion: HIV-1/2 was not associated with less immune perturbations than for HIV-1 infection. Copyright (C) 2019 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.