Functional Impairment of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Specific CD8+T Cells during the Chronic Phase of Infection

Abstract
In an attempt to determine why high frequencies of circulating virus-specific CD8+T cells are unable to control human immunodeficiency virus and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) replication, we assessed the functional nature of SIV-specific CD8+lymphocytes. After vaccination and early after infection, nearly all tetramer-staining CD8+cells produced gamma interferon in response to their specific stimulus. However, by 4 months postinfection with pathogenic SIVmac239, signs of functional impairment in the CD8+T-cell compartment were detected which might prevent these T cells from efficiently controlling the infection during the chronic phase.

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