Purpose of review: T follicular helper (Tfh) cells play a critical role as providers of B-cell help and dysfunction in Tfh/B-cell interactions can lead to autoimmunity or immunodeficiency. These observations have generated a great deal of interest in understanding how these cells are affected during HIV infection and how their functional changes might affect antibody responses.
Recent findings: Recent studies have shown that HIV/simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection affects both Tfh-cell frequency and function and suggest that Tfh-cell perturbations might contribute to the relative inefficiency of HIV-infected individuals to generate broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs).
Summary: The present review will highlight these recent findings addressing the role of Tfh cells in HIV infection as well as the impact HIV infection has on Tfh and circulating memory Tfh (cTfh) cell frequency and function.