New Insights into the Mechanisms Driving Immune Activation in HIV

Generalized immune activation is one of the keypathogenic factors involved in the relentless CD4+depletion and progression to AIDS in HIV-infectedindividuals. It is now clear that the level of immuneactivation, measured as T-cell activation, correlateswith the rate of CD4 depletion and with diseaseprogression, and that the prognostic value of immuneactivation is independent of HIV replication.Indeed, immune activation represents the link betweenHIV replication and CD4 depletion. On the basis ofthis hypothesis, an important question arises: if immuneactivation is necessary for CD4 depletion, canwe observe T-cell depletion in the absence of immuneactivation even in the face of active viral replication?Fortunately, we have an in vivo model toanswer this question and the answer is “noâ€?.