It has been reported that high molecular mass dextran sulfate (HMDS) enhances the infection of monocyte-macrophages by HIV-1. We observed that in monocyte-macrophages maintained in the presence of HMDS the expression of HIV-1 coreceptor CCR-5 was increased approximately 5-fold at the transcriptional level. We postulate that the increased expression of CCR-5 might be responsible for HMDS-enhanced infectivity of monocyte-macrophages by HIV-1.
The coexistence of malaria and HIV infection beyond inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa, South America and South-East Asia arises a question whether there is an interaction between these two infections. This problem is extremely important in relation to pregnant women because of possibility of mother to child transmission. The available options are reviewed in the paper.
The worldwide dissemination of HIV, the cause of AIDS, over the past 25 years has been one of the most catastrophic examples of the emergence, transmission, and propagation of a zoonotic infection. Ongoing exposure of humans to simian lentiviruses and the potential for additional lentiviral epidemics should not be dismissed.