Content area
Full Text
About the Authors:
Magdalena A. Lyimo
Current address: Department of Hematology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Affiliations Department of Physiology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America, Program in Experimental and Molecular Medicine, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America, Muhimbili National Hospital and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Matilda Ngarina Mosi
Current address: Department of Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
Affiliation: Muhimbili National Hospital and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Molly L. Housman
Affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
Muhammad Zain-Ul-Abideen
Affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
Frederick V. Lee
Affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
Alexandra L. Howell
Affiliations Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, White River Junction, Vermont, United States of America
Ruth I. Connor
* E-mail: [email protected]
Affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
Introduction
Transmission of HIV-1 from mother to child during breastfeeding results from the presence of both cell-free virus and HIV-infected cells in the milk [1], [2]. The mechanisms associated with HIV-1 breast milk transmission not well understood; however, the low incidence of infection among most breastfeeding infants of HIV-1 seropositive mothers suggests that HIV-1 transmission is relatively inefficient and supports a protective role for breast milk in preventing viral infection [3]. In clinical studies, components in breast milk, including IL-15 [4], long-chain fatty acids [5] and erythropoietin [6] have been linked to lower rates of post-natal HIV-1 transmission. In vitro, breast milk mucin (MUC1) effectively blocks binding and transfer of virus from dendritic cells (DC) to CD4+ T cells [7], [8] and inhibits HIV-1 infection [9], [10]. The inhibitory effects of MUC1 are attributed to a rich array of...