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Review
. 2014 Jun;71(6):589-99.
doi: 10.1111/aji.12240. Epub 2014 Apr 15.

HIV-1 vaginal transmission: cell-free or cell-associated virus?

Victor Barreto-de-Souza  1 , Anush Arakelyan, Leonid Margolis, Christophe Vanpouille
Affiliations
Review

HIV-1 vaginal transmission: cell-free or cell-associated virus?

Victor Barreto-de-Souza et al. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2014 Jun.

Abstract

The vast majority of new HIV infections in male-to-female transmission occurs through semen, where HIV-1 is present in two different forms: as free and as cell-associated virus. In the female lower genital tract, semen mixes with female genital secretions that contain various factors, some of which facilitate or inhibit HIV-1 transmission. Next, HIV-1 crosses the genital epithelia, reaches the regional lymph nodes, and disseminates through the female host. Cervico-vaginal mucosa contains multiple barriers, resulting in a low probability of vaginal transmission. However, in some cases, HIV-1 is able to break these barriers. Although the exact mechanisms of how these barriers function remain unclear, their levels of efficiency against cell-free and cell-associated HIV-1 are different, and both cell-free and cell-associated virions seem to use different strategies to overcome these barriers. Understanding the basic mechanisms of HIV-1 vaginal transmission is required for the development of new antiviral strategies to contain HIV-1 epidemics.

Keywords: Cell; HIV-1; mucosa; semen; transmission.

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Figures

Fig
Fig. Overcoming barriers to vaginal transmission by free or cell-associated HIV-1
Female host’s natural barriers prevent HIV-1 vaginal transmission, (text in brown) HIV-1 is overcoming these barriers via various mechanisms. Some of these mechanisms seem to be common for free and cell associated viruses (dashed blue arrows) whereas others predominantly facilitate either free or cell-associated HIV-1 transmission (solid blue arrows).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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