Cured of HIV Infection by a Bone Marrow Transplantation

Evidence for the cure of HIV infection by CCR5{Delta}32/{Delta}32 stem cell transplantation.

Allers K, Hütter G, Hofmann J, Loddenkemper C, Rieger K, Thiel E, Schneider T.

Blood. 2010 Dec 8.

This revolutionary article shows a cure of a patient with leukemia and HIV infection (1). A 42 year old American male received a bone marrow (3) from a donor with a rare genetic mutation, which enables resistance to catching HIV (1). 2 years after the transplantation (and having stopped High Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART), blood tests do not show the presence of HIV, the viral load has disappeared and the white blood cell count has returned to normal.

(1) HIV infection is a sexually transmitted infection during close mucosal contact (sexual intercourse with an infected person). It can also be transmitted during blood to blood contact (blood transfusions, pregnancy…). It is a systemic infection leading to numerous clinical manifestations (cutaneous, pulmonary…), directly dependent on the remaining CD4 lymphocytes. The latter enables staging of the disease which last stage is called AIDS.

(2) This mutation (CCR5Δ32/Δ32=CCR5 receptor) prevents the HIV virus from attaching to white blood cells and then  infecting (+ inactivating) them. The mutation is present in 1 in a 1000 individuals in Europe.

(3) Cells in the blood circulation (white blood cells (CD4 lymphocytes)…) are initially synthesized in the Bone Marrow. These cells have a determined life duration and once dead, they are replaced by new ones coming from precursors in the bone marrow.

This is a unique case however, and the pain, high expense and uncertainty of this procedure leaves prevention as the most important thing to fight the epidemic of HIV.