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Review
. 2010;33(3):203-18.

Alcohol's role in HIV transmission and disease progression

Ivona Pandrea  1 , Kyle I Happel, Angela M Amedee, Gregory J Bagby, Steve Nelson
Affiliations
Review

Alcohol's role in HIV transmission and disease progression

Ivona Pandrea et al. Alcohol Res Health. 2010.

Abstract

Alcohol use has negative effects on HIV disease progression through several mechanisms, including transmission, viral replication, host immunity, and treatment efficacy. Research with animal models has explored the effect of alcohol intake on several aspects of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) disease progression. Data suggest that the increased SIV levels observed in alcohol-consuming animals may represent an increase in virus production as opposed to a decrease in host defense. Results also suggest that changes in nutritional balance and metabolism, as a possible consequence of a proinflammatory state, together with increased virus production in animals consuming alcohol, accelerate SIV and possibly HIV disease progression. Further studies using the animal model are necessary.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overall impact of alcohol consumption on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pathogenesis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Alcohol consumption may facilitate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission through risky sexual behavior, increased HIV shedding, and increased inflammation at mucosal sites. NOTES: STD, sexually transmitted disease.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mechanisms of the alcohol-induced impairment of the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Alcohol administration impacted survival in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected rhesus macaques. NOTE: Reproduced with permission from Bagby et al. 2006.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Alcohol administration results in an increase of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) replication in rhesus macaques.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Potential mechanisms of the immune dysfunction induced by alcohol consumption. NOTE: LPS=lipopolysaccharide; NFkB=nuclear factor KB; Tregs=Regulatory T-cells
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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