CATIE ANTI-HIV AGENTS: Passive Immunotherapy for HIV

ANTI-HIV AGENTS: Passive Immunotherapy for HIV

TreatmentUpdate41: Vol. 4, No. 1 - March 1993
Sean Hosein

Background

Transferring protective antibodies from people already immune to an infectious agent to people who have no resistance to that agent has been done for several infections. Such therapy (passive immunotherapy) is also effective in patients with suppressed immune systems such as those who have received transplants. Some doctors think that people with HIV infection who are symptom-free may be better able to keep the virus under control when compared to people who have symptoms of HIV infection. One possible explanation is that symptom-free patients produce large quantities of antibodies that can neutralize HIV. The transfer of protective antibodies from symptom-free patients to those who have symptoms seems to reduce symptoms of AIDS.

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