Immunopathogenesis of Emerging Infections Diseases in Humans

Many viruses establish life-long infections in their natural host with few if any clinical manifestations. The relationship between virus and host is a dynamic process in which the virus has evolved the means to coexist by reducing its visibility, while the host immune system attempts to suppress and eliminate infection without damage to itself. Emerging infectious diseases pose a potential threat to public health such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus and avian influenza. Our research focuses mainly on study of the host cellular immune responses to virus infections at the molecular, cellular and population levels. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of immunological damage (immunopathology) versus protection during the course of emerging pathogen infections in humans, and to apply this knowledge to the development of powerful therapies as well as effective vaccines.||Current work involves the following projects: 1) role of Nef gene in HIV-associated pathogenesis; 2) role of HGV (GBV-C) co-infection in HIV-1 pathogenesis; 3) functions of CD1 molecules and their role in virus infections; 4) immune responses to SARS coronavirus; 5) immune responses to influenza virus infection.