Diet can profoundly impact the host response to invading pathogens. Undernutrion, which overlaps with geographical areas of high HIV prevalence, can exacerbate the catabolic state induced by viral infection At the same time, excess caloric intake that is common in in more affluent ountries has been associated with chronic inflammation and can excacerbate the immune response. The NHP model represents an excellent model to study dietary regulation of immune responses given that content, amount, and timing of calories can be experimentally controlled. We are currently regulating caloric intake in animals without provoking malnutrition, which across species has well-known anti-aging and anti-inflammatory effects, to examine how re-wiring animals metabolically through their diet will impact the subsequent immune response to SIV.
