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Review
. 2017 May 23:8:580.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00580. eCollection 2017.

Pathophysiology of CD4+ T-Cell Depletion in HIV-1 and HIV-2 Infections

K K Vidya Vijayan  1 , Krithika Priyadarshini Karthigeyan  1 , Srikanth P Tripathi  1 , Luke Elizabeth Hanna  1
Affiliations
Review

Pathophysiology of CD4+ T-Cell Depletion in HIV-1 and HIV-2 Infections

K K Vidya Vijayan et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

The hall mark of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a gradual loss of CD4+ T-cells and imbalance in CD4+ T-cell homeostasis, with progressive impairment of immunity that leads ultimately to death. HIV infection in humans is caused by two related yet distinct viruses: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-2 is typically less virulent than HIV-1 and permits the host to mount a more effective and sustained T-cell immunity. Although both infections manifest the same clinical spectrum, the much lower rate of CD4+ T-cell decline and slower progression of disease in HIV-2 infected individuals have grabbed the attention of several researchers. Here, we review the most recent findings on the differential rate of decline of CD4+ T-cell in HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections and provide plausible reasons for the observed differences between the two groups.

Keywords: CD4+ T-cell; HIV-1; HIV-2; immune activation; pyroptosis.

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