Immunology of infants who are HIV-exposed uninfected in the parental combination antiretroviral therapy era

Abstract

The introduction and programmatic scale-up of universal antiretroviral therapy in pregnancy (option B and option B+) and the subsequent universal test-and-treat approaches have dramatically reduced infant HIV-1 acquisitions globally, with a parallel increase in the number of infants who are HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU). Although infants who are HEU have historically had higher risk of morbidity and mortality than infants who are HIV unexposed, effective parental viral suppression has enabled people living with HIV to carry healthier pregnancies and realise the benefits of optimised feeding practices that support the transfer of key nutrients and immune factors through their parent's own milk. However, residual, heightened inflammation, altered gut microbiome, and differences in innate and adaptive immunology in infants who are HEU remain, and might contribute to persistent, heightened infectious morbidity. Parental HIV infection continues to influence child health in the option B and option B+ era; future research is needed to uncover underlying mechanisms and long-term implications of these strategies.