PLoS ONE (Jan 2018)

Long-term effects of smallpox vaccination on expression of the HIV-1 co-receptor CCR5 in women.

  • K B Beck,
  • B L Hønge,
  • J S Olesen,
  • M S Petersen,
  • S Jespersen,
  • C Wejse,
  • Z J da Silva,
  • C Medina,
  • D D S Té,
  • B K Moeller,
  • C S Benn,
  • P Aaby,
  • C Erikstrup

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207259
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 11
p. e0207259

Abstract

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BACKGROUND:Smallpox vaccinations were stopped globally in 1980. Recent studies have shown that in women, being smallpox vaccinated was associated with a reduced risk of HIV infection compared with not being smallpox vaccinated. At the initial infection, HIV-1 most often uses CCR5 as a co-receptor to infect the T-lymphocytes. We therefore investigated whether smallpox vaccination is associated with a down-regulation of CCR5 on the surface of peripheral T-lymphocytes in healthy women in Guinea-Bissau. METHODS:We included HIV seronegative women from Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, born before 1974, with and without a smallpox vaccination scar. Blood samples were stabilised in a TransFix buffer solution and stained for flow cytometry according to a T-cell maturation profile. RESULTS:Ninety-seven women were included in the study; 52 with a smallpox vaccination scar and 45 without a scar. No association between smallpox vaccination scar and CCR5 expression was found in any T-lymphocyte subtype. CONCLUSION:Among HIV seronegative women, being smallpox vaccinated more than 40 years ago was not associated with a down-regulation of CCR5 receptors on the surface of peripheral T-lymphocytes.