Elsevier

Microbes and Infection

Volume 5, Issue 1, January 2003, Pages 59-67
Microbes and Infection

Review
Target cells in vaginal HIV transmission

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1286-4579(02)00056-4Get rights and content
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Abstract

Understanding the mechanisms of HIV transmission to women will be crucial to the development of effective strategies to curb this epidemic. Current data suggest that HIV has at least two routes to penetrate the vaginal epithelium and reach lymphoid tissues, trans-epithelial migration of infected Langerhans cells or virus penetration into the lamina propria through loss of epithelial integrity resulting in direct infection of lymphocytes, dendritic cells and macrophages.

Keywords

Langerhans cells
SIV
Inflammation
Epithelium

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