INCREASED PLASMA HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 BURDEN FOLLOWINGANTIGENIC CHALLENGE WITH PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE

Primary factors that influence virus burden during human immunodeficie ncy virus type 1 (HIV-1) disease progression remain a fundamental issu e in pathogenesis. Because pneumococcal vaccine is routinely given to HIV-1-infected patients and replication of HIV-1 within CD4 T cells is dependent on the activation state of the cell, it was investigated wh ether the T cell activation that enhances the immune response to vacci nes may also enhance HIV-1 replication, Vaccination of asymptomatic HI V-1-infected patients led to rapid and significant increases in virus burden in some patients, The magnitude of these increases correlated s ignificantly with the extent of the antibody response to the vaccinati on, Thus, antigenic stimulation by vaccines designed to prevent second ary infections may promote HIV-1 replication in certain patients, Thes e findings provide a window for examining HIV-1 pathogenesis and for d etermining the appropriate preventive measures against other diseases in HIV-1-infected persons.