Deciphering HIV-associated inflammation: microbiome's influence and experimental insights.

Purpose of review: To review novel experimental approaches for studying host:microbe interactions and their role in intestinal and systemic inflammation in people living with HIV (PLWH).

Recent findings: Inflammation in PLWH is impacted by interactions between the microbiome, the intestinal epithelium, and immune cells. This complex interplay is not fully understood and requires a variety of analytical techniques to study. Using a multiomic systems biology approach provides hypothesis generating data on host:microbe interactions that can be used to guide further investigation. The direct interactions between host cells and microbes can be elucidated using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMC's) or human intestinal organoids (HIO). Additionally, the broader relationship between the host and the microbiome can be explored using animal models such as nonhuman primates and germ-free and double humanized mice.

Summary: To explore complex host:microbe relationships, hypotheses are generated and investigations are guided by multiomic data, while causal components are identified using in-vitro and in-vivo assays.