Saliva and inhibition of HIV-1 infection: molecular mechanisms |
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| Authors: | DC Shugars SP Sweet D Malamud SH Kazmi K Page-Shafer SJ Challacombe |
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| Affiliation: | Departments of Dentistry and Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;;Department of Oral Medicine, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Guy's Hospital, London, UK;;Department of Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA;;Department of Medicine, Center for AIDS Prevention, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA |
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| Abstract: | Oral fluids are rarely a vehicle for HIV-1 infection in vivo , unlike other mucosal secretions. This unique property raises questions regarding (1) the molecular mechanisms responsible for the lack of salivary transmission, (2) the extent to which oral immunological responses mirror responses at other mucosal sites, (3) the use of promising salivary markers of HIV-1 disease progression, (4) the relationship between oral and blood viral loads, (5) cofactors that influence oro-genital transmission, and (6) the feasibility of oral-based antibody testing for HIV-1 diagnosis in the home. This paper discusses these questions and provides background summaries, findings from new studies, consensus opinions, practical relevance to developing countries, and suggestions for future research agenda on each of the key topics. |
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| Keywords: | HIV antiviral saliva transmission mucosal immunity antibody testing |
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