Impaired HIV-specific T-cell responses in HIV andS. mansonicoinfected Ugandans

Fishing communities surrounding Lake Victoria in Uganda show an HIV-1 prevalence of 28% and incidence rates of 5%. More than 50% of the fishermen on the shores of Lake Victoria are infected with S. mansoni . Fishermen are more likely to die of AIDS related illness than farmers in the Lake Victoria region. Using polychromatic flow cytometry and mesoscale discovery platform, HIV specific and non-specific responses were measured and compared within individuals when HIV and S. mansoni coinfected and after the S. mansoni was cleared. Sixty-two unique clusters of cells in the UMAP space were identified after stimulations with GAG PTE POOL-1 and GAG PTE POOL-2 independently. However, the frequency of only three clusters is significantly higher after S. mansoni clearance. In addition, S. mansoni infection is associated with higher IL-9 and IL-10 and lower IL-15 in HIV and S. mansoni coinfected individuals. IL-9 concentration at enrolment visit predicts CD4 decline. S. mansoni infection negatively affects HIV specific and non-specific immune responses in HIV and S. mansoni coinfected individuals.