Platelets from HIV-infected individuals on antiretroviral drug therapy with poor CD4+ T cell recovery can harbor replication-competent HIV despite viral suppression

Fernando Real, Claude Capron, Alexis Sennepin, Riccardo Arrigucci, Aiwei Zhu, Gérémy Sannier, Jonathan Zheng, Lin Xu, Jean Marc Massé, Ségolène Greffe, Michelle Cazabat, Maribel Donoso, Pierre Delobel, Jacques Izopet, Eliseo Eugenin, Maria Laura Gennaro, Elisabeth Rouveix, Elisabeth Cramer Bordé, Morgane Bomsel

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    51 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    In addition to hemostasis, human platelets have several immune functions and interact with infectious pathogens including HIV in vitro. Here, we report that platelets from HIV-infected individuals on combined antiretroviral drug therapy (ART) with low blood CD4+ T cell counts (<350 cells/μl) contained replication-competent HIV despite viral suppression. In vitro, human platelets harboring HIV propagated the virus to macrophages, a process that could be prevented with the biologic abciximab, an anti-integrin αIIb/β3 Fab. Furthermore, in our cohort, 88% of HIV-infected individuals on ART with viral suppression and with platelets containing HIV were poor immunological responders with CD4+ T cell counts remaining below <350 cells/μl for more than one year. Our study suggests that platelets may be transient carriers of HIV and may provide an alternative pathway for HIV dissemination in HIV-infected individuals on ART with viral suppression and poor CD4+ T cell recovery.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Article numbereaat6263
    JournalScience Translational Medicine
    Volume12
    Issue number535
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Mar 18 2020

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Medicine

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