HIV population-level adaptation can rapidly diminish the impact of a partially effective vaccine.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Development of an HIV vaccine might be essential to ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic. However, vaccines can result in the emergence and spread of vaccine-resistant strains. Indeed, analyses of breakthrough infections in the HIV phase 3 vaccine trial RV144 identified HIV genotypes with differential rates of transmission in vaccine and placebo recipients. We hypothesized that, for HIV vaccination programs based on partially effective vaccines similar to RV144, HIV adaptation will rapidly diminish the expected vaccine impact.

Methods and findings

Using two HIV epidemic models, we simulated large-scale vaccination programs and, critically, included HIV strain diversity with respect to the vaccine response. We show here that rapid population-level viral adaptation can lead

SUBMITTER: Herbeck JT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6701864 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature