The absence of a specific marker in the blood and tissues of certain monkeys may be part of the key to understanding how they can be infected for years with SIV, the primate version of HIV, and never develop AIDS, according to research published by TulaneUniversity pathologist Ivona Pandrea in the scientific journal Blood.
 Pandrea compared the blood, lymph nodes, and intestines of five primate species that do not develop AIDS when infected with SIV to the same tissues of those species that do develop AIDS as a result of SIV or HIV infection. She analyzed the presence of CCR5, an important marker found on CD4 cells, which are part of the immune system targeted by HIV and SIV. As the viruses kill the CD4 cells, AIDS develops. CCR5 allows the virus access to these cells. Pandrea found that the AIDS-resistant monkeys had fewer CD4 cells with CCR5 on them than the comparison group. As a result, the viruses do less damage to the immune systems of infected nonhuman primates and they do not develop AIDS.
Pandrea theorizes that the absence of CCR5 is due to the adaptation of AIDS-resistant monkeys to SIV infection over millennia, while the others only recently have been exposed to SIV or HIV so they have not developed resistance.
Source: Tulane UniversityÂ
Â
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.