American Association for the Advancement of Science, Science, 5403(283), p. 857-860, 1999
DOI: 10.1126/science.283.5403.857
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Clinical evidence suggests that cellular immunity is involved in controlling human immunodeficiency virus–1 (HIV-1) replication. An animal model of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)–infected rhesus monkey, was used to show that virus replication is not controlled in monkeys depleted of CD8 + lymphocytes during primary SIV infection. Eliminating CD8 + lymphocytes from monkeys during chronic SIV infection resulted in a rapid and marked increase in viremia that was again suppressed coincident with the reappearance of SIV-specific CD8 + T cells. These results confirm the importance of cell-mediated immunity in controlling HIV-1 infection and support the exploration of vaccination approaches for preventing infection that will elicit these immune responses.