Specific antibody production by blood B cells is retained in late stage drug-naïve HIV-infected Africans.

Unseparated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from drug-naïve African individuals living in a context of multi-infections and presenting with high viral load (VL), were cultured in vitro and tested for their ability to produce antibodies (Abs) reacting with HIV-1 antigens. Within these PBMCs, circulating B cells were differentiated in vitro and produced IgG Abs against not only ENV, but also GAG and POL proteins. Under similar experimental conditions, HAART treated patients produced Abs to ENV proteins only.

Identification of germinal center B cells in blood from HIV-infected drug-naive individuals in Central Africa.

To better understand the pathophysiology of B cell populations-the precursors of antibody secreting cells-during chronic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, we examined the phenotype of circulating B cells in newly diagnosed Africans. We found that all African individuals displayed low levels of naive B cells and of memory-type CD27+ B cells, and high levels of differentiated B cells. On the other hand, HIV-infected African patients had a population of germinal center B cells (i.