HIV Superinfection Drives De Novo Antibody Responses and Not Neutralization Breadth.

Eliciting antibodies that neutralize a broad range of circulating HIV strains (broadly neutralizing antibodies [bnAbs]) represents a key priority for vaccine development. HIV superinfection (re-infection with a second strain following an established infection) has been associated with neutralization breadth, and can provide insights into how the immune system responds to sequential exposure to distinct HIV envelope glycoproteins (Env). Characterizing the neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses in four superinfected women revealed that superinfection does not boost memory nAb responses primed by the first infection or promote nAb responses to epitopes conserved in both infecting viruses.

Correction: Features of Recently Transmitted HIV-1 Clade C Viruses that Impact Antibody Recognition: Implications for Active and Passive Immunization.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.

Features of Recently Transmitted HIV-1 Clade C Viruses that Impact Antibody Recognition: Implications for Active and Passive Immunization.

The development of biomedical interventions to reduce acquisition of HIV-1 infection remains a global priority, however their potential effectiveness is challenged by very high HIV-1 envelope diversity. Two large prophylactic trials in high incidence, clade C epidemic regions in southern Africa are imminent; passive administration of the monoclonal antibody VRC01, and active immunization with a clade C modified RV144-like vaccines. We have created a large representative panel of C clade viruses to enable assessment of antibody responses to vaccines and natural infection in Southern Africa, and we investigated the genotypic and neutralization properties of recently transmitted clade C viruses to determine how viral diversity impacted antibody recognition.

Differences in HIV type 1 neutralization breadth in 2 geographically distinct cohorts in Africa.

To investigate whether distinct populations have differing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) neutralizing antibody responses, we compared 20 women from Tanzania's HIV Superinfection Study (HISIS) cohort, who were infected multiple HIV subtypes, and 22 women from the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) cohort, who were infected exclusively with HIV subtype C. By 2 years after infection, 35% of HISIS subjects developed neutralization breadth, compared with 9% of CAPRISA subjects (P = .0131).

HIV infection in high school students in rural South Africa: role of transmissions among students.

In South Africa, adolescents constitute a key population at high risk of HIV acquisition. However, little is known about HIV transmission among students within schools. This study was undertaken to assess the risk factors for HIV infection and the extent of transmission among rural high school students.

Epidemiology of HIV-1 subtypes among men who have sex with men in Cape Town, South Africa.

Objective: Early studies in Cape Town identified independent HIV-1 epidemics, with distinct viral subtypes, among men who have sex with men (MSM) and the heterosexual population. However, few recent HIV-1 subtype data are available for MSM in South Africa. We examined HIV-1 subtypes among MSM in Cape Town.

Rapid, complex adaptation of transmitted HIV-1 full-length genomes in subtype C-infected individuals with differing disease progression.

Objective(s): There is limited information on full-length genome sequences and the early evolution of transmitted HIV-1 subtype C viruses, which constitute the majority of viruses spread in Africa. The purpose of this study was to characterize the earliest changes across the genome of subtype C viruses following transmission, to better understand early control of viremia.

Design: We derived the near full-length genome sequence responsible for clinical infection from five HIV subtype C-infected individuals with different disease progression profiles and tracked adaptation to immune responses in the first 6 months of infection.

Defining the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transmission genetic bottleneck in a region with multiple circulating subtypes and recombinant forms.

The Mbeya region of Tanzania has a genetically complex HIV epidemic with multiple subtypes and recombinant forms circulating, together with a high frequency of dual infections with more than one subtype. This study aimed to determine whether this impacted the HIV-1 transmission bottleneck. A total of 210 env sequences from 22 participants were generated from recently infected women from Mbeya using the single genome amplification approach.