During HIV Infection, Antibody Can Block B Cells from Fighting Pathogens | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

During HIV Infection, Antibody Can Block B Cells from Fighting Pathogens | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Monday, August 13, 2018 During HIV Infection, Antibody Can Block B Cells from Fighting Pathogens Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a B cell from a human donor. Credit: NIAID For the first time, scientists have shown that in certain people living with HIV, a type of antibody called immunoglobulin G3 (or IgG3) stops the immune system’s B cells from doing their normal job of fighting pathogens. This phenomenon appears to be one way the body tries to reduce the potentially damaging effects of immune-system hyperactivity caused by the presence of HIV, according to the investigators, but in so doing, it also impairs normal immune function. The research was led by scientists in the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation and the NIAID Laboratory of Immunogenetics.