Dysfunctional bronchoalveolar effector memory CD8 T cells in tuberculosis-exposed people living with antiretroviral-naïve HIV infection.

HIV causes susceptibility to respiratory pathogens, including tuberculosis (TB), but the underlying immunological mechanisms remain incompletely understood. We obtained whole blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from TB-exposed people in the presence or absence of antiretroviral-naïve HIV co-infection. Bulk transcriptional profiling demonstrated compartment-specific enrichment of immunological processes.

A PowerPack of SuperScientists: An innovative concept by African scientists to address gender bias and inequity in science.

Underrepresentation of women in scientific leadership is a global problem. To understand and counter narratives that limit gender equity in African science, we conducted a public engagement campaign. Scientists representing six sub-Saharan African countries and multiple career stages used superhero imagery to create a diverse and unified team advocating for gender equity in science.

Dysfunctional effector memory CD8 T cells in the bronchoalveolar compartment of people living with HIV.

Mechanisms by which HIV causes susceptibility to respiratory pathogens remain incompletely understood. We obtained whole blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from people with latent TB infection in the presence or absence of antiretroviral-naïve HIV co-infection. Transcriptomic and flow cytometric analyses demonstrated HIV-associated cell proliferation plus type I interferon activity in blood and effector memory CD8 T-cells in BAL.

Discrepancy between Mtb-specific IFN-γ and IgG responses in HIV-positive people with low CD4 counts.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading infectious cause of death worldwide and treating latent TB infection (LTBI) with TB preventative therapy is a global priority. This study aimed to measure interferon gamma (IFN-γ) release assay (IGRA) positivity (the current reference standard for LTBI diagnosis) and Mtb-specific IgG antibodies in otherwise healthy adults without HIV and those living with HIV (PLWH).

Methods: One-hundred and eighteen adults (65 without HIV and 53 antiretroviral-naïve PLWH), from a peri-urban setting in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa were enrolled.

MR1-Restricted MAIT Cells From The Human Lung Mucosal Surface Have Distinct Phenotypic, Functional, and Transcriptomic Features That Are Preserved in HIV Infection.

Mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a class of innate-like T cells that utilize a semi-invariant αβ T cell receptor to recognize small molecule ligands produced by bacteria and fungi. Despite growing evidence that immune cells at mucosal surfaces are often phenotypically and functionally distinct from those in the peripheral circulation, knowledge about the characteristics of MAIT cells at the lung mucosal surface, the site of exposure to respiratory pathogens, is limited. HIV infection has been shown to have a profound effect on the number and function of MAIT cells in the peripheral blood, but its effect on lung mucosal MAIT cells is unknown.

Contrasting Inflammatory Signatures in Peripheral Blood and Bronchoalveolar Cells Reveal Compartment-Specific Effects of HIV Infection.

The mechanisms by which HIV increases susceptibility to tuberculosis and other respiratory infections are incompletely understood. We used transcriptomics of paired whole bronchoalveolar lavage cells (BLCs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells to compare the effect of HIV at the lung mucosal surface and in peripheral blood. The majority of HIV-induced differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were specific to either the peripheral or lung mucosa compartments (1,307/1,404, 93%).