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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Aug 18.
Published in final edited form as: Cell Host Microbe. 2016 Mar 9;19(3):270–272. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2016.02.014

Figure 1. Expansion of the enteric virome contributes to HIV/SIV disease progression.

Figure 1

HIV infection leads to massive depletion of CD4+ T cells in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), and is associated with gastrointestinal (GI) damage and disease. The current studies show that severe immunodeficiency caused by HIV/SIV infection is linked with expansion of the viral component of the gut microbiome. Enteric viruses may contribute to further GI damage and HIV/SIV disease progression by direct infection of cells along the GI tract.