PROCAARE: HIV in gingival fluid--request for feedback

[Albert Shaw <ashaw@usa.healthnet.org>]

From: takashi@dent.niigata-u.ac.jp (Takashi Suzuki)
Subject: Studying HIV in oral fluid: what to do with?

Aside from research on the presence and/or infectivity of saliva-borne HIV,
few are reports on HIV in oral fluid.
My colleagues and I attempted to look at the gingival tissue exudate in CDC
C3 patients to seek for a potential viral source.
Three colour flow cytometry showed the presence of a mononuclear phagocyte
population (CD64/CD14) that were also intracellular p24+.   Both PCR and
RT-PCR on genomic DNA and cellular RNA from these cells yielded positive
signals, implying the presence of proviruses and possibly viral
replication.

The fact is that the gingival fluid flow is of approx. 5-8
microL/minute/mouth and each microL contain ca. 5 900 to 30 000 of these
HIV+ cells.

Acknowledging that the saliva contains HIV-"neutralizing" agents,  is it
worth continuing such work when the world is seeking much more
systemic/therapeutic aspects?  I would like to have comments and criticisms
as regards to this point: being a trained clinical immunologist and as a
research faculty in a dental school, I am indeed wondering whether there
is any future scope to such a subject.

Any comments and criticisms are welcome.   Thank you very much in advance.

Takashi Suzuki, MD., PhD.
Assistant Professor
Research Faculty
Department of Periodontology
Niigata University School of Dentistry
E-mail: takashi@dent.niigata-u.ac.jp
Fax: (+81) 25 223 3761