HIV Replication Suppressed by Measles

A study has revealed that replication of HIV is mysteriously suppressed in patients with acute measles. The study was published in the April 2002 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

In the study, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Baltimore, MD, USA) found that the HIV levels in HIV-infected children in Zambia with measles were significantly lower than in HIV-infected children who did not have measles. The HIV levels were measured when the children were admitted to the hospital for measles treatment, when they were discharged, and again one month later. They were compared with the levels in HIV-infected children who did not have measles.

The researchers found that 33 of the 93 children diagnosed with measles and HIV had a median HIV level of 5,339 copies per ml when they entered the hospital. These levels increased to 60,121 copies per ml when measured at discharge and to 387,148 copies per ml one month later. HIV-infected children who did not have measles had a median HIV level of 228,454 copies per ml. The researchers also found that the CD8 T cell level, an indicator of immune system response, was elevated in the children with both measles and HIV, compared to children in the control group.

"More research will be needed with a larger study group to fully understand how measles suppresses HIV and activates the immune system, but our findings may provide clues to understanding both HIV pathogenesis and immunity,” said Dr. Diane Griffin, professor, department of molecular microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins.





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