Scientists first treated rhesus monkey model with a human made version of IgM naturally produced by plasma cells located under the epithelium, then a half hour later the same animals were exposed to SHIV and it was found that 4 out of the 6 animals treated this way were fully protected against the virus, which were monitored for 82 days.
Scientists found applying IgM antibodies resulted in immune exclusion, as IgM clumped up the virus thus preventing crossing of mucosal barriers and spreading throughout the body, which is estimated how worldwide 90% of new new cased are caused.. This technique is known as passive immunization.
According to the scientists the study for the first time shows the protective potential of mucosal anti-HIV-1 IgM, which has 5 times higher ability to bind to virus particles than the standard IgG, and findings open up new paths to research.
