Mucosal and plasma IgA from HIV-exposed seronegative individuals neutralize a primary HIV-1 isolate.

OBJECTIVE To characterize functional properties of HIV-specific IgA in samples representing both systemic and mucosal compartments of HIV-1 highly exposed persistently seronegative (HEPS) individuals. METHODS IgA was purified from plasma and mucosal samples from HEPS individuals and tested for the ability to neutralize infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by a non-syncytium inducing HIV-1 (clade B) primary isolate. None of these individuals had measurable HIV-1-specific IgG. RESULTS HIV-1-specific neutralizing activity of the purified IgA from plasma (n = 15), saliva (n = 15) and cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) (n = 14) were found in the majority of samples (73, 73 and 79%, respectively). In contrast, plasma, saliva and CVF samples of low-risk, uninfected HIV-seronegative individuals lacked neutralizing IgA, with the exception of two out of 34 (6%) saliva samples. CONCLUSION Mucosal and plasma IgA from HEPS individuals can neutralize HIV-1 infection.