Mast cells may serve as a viral reservoir for HIV-1

"Evidence that human progenitor mast cells are susceptible to infection with CCR5-tropic strains of HIV-1 and that circulating HIV-1-infected FcERIalpha+ cells with a similar progenitor phenotype have been isolated from AIDS patients has led to speculation that mast cells may serve as a potential reservoir for infectious HIV-1, wrote scientists in the United States.

"In this study," said J.B. Sundstrom and colleagues, "progenitor mast cells, developed in vitro from CD34+ cord blood stem cells, were experimentally infected with the CCR5-tropic strain HIV-1Bal after 28 days in culture as they reached...

Want to see the full article?

• Purchase this article for only $3.00