Platelet-HIV: interactions and their implications

While it is clear that platelets interact with viruses, the ramifications and mechanisms of those interactions are still being defined for each type of viral infection. HIV/AIDS⁺ represents a potentially unique example of how viremia affects platelets since the increasing efficacy of antiretroviral therapeutics (ART) has made it a chronic disease that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. In this opinion article, we discuss some of the open questions about how platelets interact with HIV. What happens to a virion once it binds a platelet? What is the nature of virus-induced platelet activation? Are platelets a normal part of the immune response to viremia that has been co-opted to increase the spread of HIV? The answers to these and similar questions will help define how platelet-directed therapeutics might be used in treating HIV/AIDS⁺ patients.