Mucosal immunity in acute HIV: a review of recent work.

Purpose of review: This review summarizes recent research literature relevant to mucosal immunity and acute/early HIV infection.

Recent findings: Recent findings include new insights on the HIV transmission "bottleneck" at mucosal surfaces, the impact of acute HIV on germinal centers and mucosal B-cell function, the expression of cytotoxic effector molecules by mucosal CD8+ T-cells, and an enhanced understanding of the impact of acute HIV on innate cell-mediated defenses including mucosa-associated invariant T-cells invarant natural killer T-cells and natural killer cells.

Summary: Now more than 40 years since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, extensive research has elucidated the dynamics of HIV replication and the corresponding host response. However, the vast majority of HIV-related immunopathogenesis studies have focused on innate and adaptive immune responses in peripheral blood. Mucosal tissues serve as the primary portals of entry for HIV and house the majority of the body's lymphocytes. Innate and adaptive immune responses in mucosal tissues are of particular relevance during the acute phase of HIV disease, as successful defenses can both limit viral dissemination within the host and prevent transmission to a new host, yet until recently these responses were poorly understood.