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Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI118133

ENV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in HIV seronegative health care workers occupationally exposed to HIV-contaminated body fluids.

L A Pinto, J Sullivan, J A Berzofsky, M Clerici, H A Kessler, A L Landay, and G M Shearer

Experimental Immunology Branche, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Experimental Immunology Branche, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Experimental Immunology Branche, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Experimental Immunology Branche, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Experimental Immunology Branche, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Experimental Immunology Branche, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Experimental Immunology Branche, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Published August 1, 1995 - More info

Published in Volume 96, Issue 2 on August 1, 1995
J Clin Invest. 1995;96(2):867–876. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI118133.
© 1995 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published August 1, 1995 - Version history
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Abstract

Identification of the components of protective immunity are crucial for the development of effective prophylactic and therapeutic vaccine strategies. Analysis of HIV-specific responses in exposed but uninfected individuals might thus provide a unique resource to elucidate the components and correlates of protective immunity to HIV. In the present study we analyzed HIV-specific cytotoxic and helper T lymphocyte responses in health care workers (HCW) exposed to body fluids from HIV-positive individuals. HCW exposed to blood from HIV-negative individuals as well as healthy donors served as controls. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses to HIV envelope (env) peptides were detected in 7/20 (35%) HCW exposed to HIV-positive blood and in none of the 20 health care workers exposed to uninfected blood or the seven healthy blood donors studied. HIV-specific CTL responses were detected only after in vitro stimulation, and were MHC class I restricted. No MHC class I restriction elements were uniformly identified among the different responders. 21/28 (75%) HCW exposed to contaminated blood responded to env as measured by IL-2 production to the peptides, in contrast to only 9/38 (24%) HCW exposed to HIV seronegative blood and 3/35 (9%) healthy blood donors. All the HIV exposed individuals were seronegative on repeated ELISA tests, and no evidence of infection was obtained by PCR analysis. These findings indicate that a single exposure to HIV can induce CTL immunity to HIV antigens, in the absence of other evidence of infection.

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