Alteration in Oral Microbiome among Men Who Have Sex with Men with Acute and Chronic HIV Infection on Antiretroviral Therapy. Oral Microbiome in HIV Infection

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is characterized by rapid and substantial loss of CD4+ T cells that impairs host defense and increases the risk of opportunistic microbial infections. Worldwide there are approximately 38 million people living with HIV infection (PLWH), with about 25.4 million receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). Despite the antiretroviral therapy (ART), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related oral disease remains a common problem for people living with HIV (PLWH). Evidence suggests that impairment of immune function in HIV infection might lead to the conversion of commensal bacteria to microorganisms with increased pathogenicity. However, limited information is available about alteration in oral microbiome in PLWH on ART. We performed a longitudinal comparative study on men who have sex with men (MSM) with acute HIV infection, MSM with chronic HIV infection and HIV-uninfected MSM controls. Throat swabs were collected when these subjects were recruited and 12 weeks after ART treatment from the patients. Genomic DNAs were extracted and 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed. This study has shown alteration in oral microbiome resulting from HIV infection and ART. It is conducive to reveal novel targets for prevention and therapy of HIV-associated diseases.