A new study, published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, examined the relationship between cocaine use and HIV.  Building on existing literature that indicated stimulant use was correlated with higher levels of HIV infection, the researchers found that cocaine affect T cells in such a way that increased the number of T cells in the body that were susceptible to infection.  Specifically, cocaine affects a type of T cells that HIV is ineffective at infecting.

According to an analysis of the study published on UCLA Newsroom, this fits into the existing paradigm of populations that are at a high risk for HIV.  In many ways, the spread of HIV has been fueled by substance abuse and linked to drug use.  Drug users sharing needles and engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors have played a key role in the AIDS epidemic in much of the world.  This study found that a three-day exposure to cocaine is all it took to make the cells more susceptible to HIV infection.

The next stage in the research is to delve further into understanding the mechanism by which cocaine makes these cells that were previously resistant to HIV suddenly susceptible to infection.  They will also have to confirm if the drug use does indeed lead to a higher viral reservoir.  Finally, it will be important for the researchers to study how drug abuse affects HIV infection as well as the efficacy of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).  This research will likely be pursued with humanized mouse models.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus.  It is the virus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Unlike some other viruses, the human body cannot get rid of HIV. That means that once a person is infected with HIV, they have it for life.  However, HIV does not guarantee that a person will end up with AIDS.

According to the Annual Review of Immunology, in the absence of antiretroviral treatment, HIV-1 establishes a chronic, progressive infection of the human immune system that invariably, over the course of years, leads to its destruction and fatal immunodeficiency.  The CDC states that, annually, there are approximately 50,000 new infections of HIV in the U.S. every year.  Annually, there are an estimated 15,500 deaths from AIDS and over 600,000 deaths recorded to date in the U.S.