Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1988. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Newsday - October 28, 1988
Laurie Garrett
In the study, appearing in today's Science magazine, Dr. Francis Ennis of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and two colleagues say a part of the antibodies, called Fc, is not only failing to protect cells from the human immunodeficiency virus but is helping the virus get inside cells. In other words, portions of the antibodies act as guides, showing the AIDS virus how to sneak behind enemy lines and invade human cells.
The researchers extensively studied samples of blood taken from five people infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, finding these individuals were making antibodies against the virus.
Technically, these individuals were immune to AIDS, as is everyone who is infected with HIV since they produce antibodies against the virus during the early stages of the disease. But, those infected with HIV continue to grow sicker, eventually developing AIDS. This means the antibodies are failing to provide genuine immunity.
The discovery that antibodies may promote infection has implications for the development of a vaccine against AIDS. Vaccines against such diseases as polio and smallpox protect people by stimulating their bodies to manufacture large quantities of antibodies that attach themselves to the disease virus, eventually leading to the destruction of the virus. This research indicates, however, that in the case of AIDS that process could be dangerous because the antibodies might actually promote infection.
"The presence of enhancing antibodies in HIV-1 infections will require careful consideration concerning the development of appropriate HIV vaccines," the report concludes.
In a telephone interview, Ennis said the conclusion is deliberately understated. "I tried not to speculate. I tried to be very cautious in interpreting the data. We don't want to unduly alarm people, or discourage vaccine development. I don't want to provoke a lot of skepticism based on these observations."
A similar effect has been seen with antibodies against a handful of other diseases, including Dengue Fever. Dengue is a very dangerous disease, found primarily in Africa, that causes acute symptoms and death in a matter of days after infection. Ennis and his team has been studying Dengue for years, and have found that the levels of such antibodies directly correlate with how sick the infected individual becomes. There is no vaccine against Dengue Fever.
Ennis is quick to point out, however, that this AIDS work has been limited to test-tube studies and hasn't been correlated with clinical findings.
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