Recent studies have suggested greater HIV cure potential among infected children than adults. A major obstacle to HIV eradication in adults is that the viral reservoir is largely comprised of HIV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) escape variants. We here evaluate the potential for CTL in HIV-infected slow-progressor children to play an effective role in “shock-and-kill” cure strategies. Two distinct subgroups of children were identified on the basis of viral load. Unexpectedly, in both groups, as in adults, HIV-specific CTL drove the selection of escape variants across a range of epitopes within the first weeks of infection. However, in HIV-infected children, but not adults, de novo autologous variant-specific CTL responses were generated, enabling the pediatric immune system to “corner” the virus. Thus, even when escape variants are selected in early infection, the capacity in children to generate variant-specific anti-HIV CTL responses maintains the potential for CTL to contribute to effective shock-and-kill cure strategies in pediatric HIV infection.

最近的研究表明，被感染的儿童比成年人具有更大的HIV治愈潜力。成人消除HIV的主要障碍是病毒库主要由HIV特异性细胞毒性T淋巴细胞（CTL）逃逸变体组成。我们在这里评估在感染了HIV的慢进儿童中CTL在“电击和杀死”治愈策略中发挥有效作用的潜力。根据病毒载量确定了两个不同的儿童亚组。出乎意料的是，在两组中，如在成年人中，HIV特异性CTL导致在感染的最初几周内跨一系列表位选择逃逸变体。但是，在感染了HIV的儿童而非成年人中，产生了从头自体变异特异性CTL反应，从而使儿科免疫系统能够“角化”该病毒。因此，