Neonatal HIV-1 thymic infection.

The thymus is the primary site of T cell ontogeny and selection during fetal and neonatal development. Previous studies have established that the thymus is also a site of HIV-1 infection, as early as the first trimester of pregnancy. Alteration of the thymocyte maturation process by HIV-1 could impact on the peripheral T cell population and interfere with immune responses. A neonatal thymic organ culture system was established to study HIV-1 infection within the thymus. We have shown that this primary tissue isolate can support a productive HIV-1 infection. Infection occurred without detectable thymocyte cytopathology. The ability to infect the developing thymocyte within an intact micro environment will enable us to further establish the kinetics of acute HIV-1 thymic infection and its consequences on lymphocyte maturation.