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Status of long‐term asymptomatic HIV‐1 infection correlates with viral load but not with virus replication properties and cell tropism
Author(s) -
Candotti Daniel,
Costagliola Dominique,
Joberty Cathy,
Bonduelle Olivia,
Rouzioux Christine,
Autran Brigitte,
Agut Henri
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9071(199907)58:3<256::aid-jmv11>3.0.co;2-z
Subject(s) - virology , asymptomatic , viremia , tropism , viral load , viral replication , virus , lentivirus , biology , viral disease , tissue tropism , antiretroviral therapy , immunology , medicine
Qualitative and quantitative virological parameters were investigated in 68 long‐term nonprogressor (LTNP) HIV‐1‐infected patients and 9 slow‐progressor controls. LTNP status was defined as an asymptomatic HIV infection for at least 8 years, a stability of CD4 + cell counts ≥600 cells/mm 3 and no antiretroviral therapy. LTNP subjects exhibited a lower median plasma RNA load than controls (6,000 vs 40,000 RNA copies/ml) despite a wide range of values in both groups. When compared to the control group, LTNP subjects also exhibited a lower virus isolation rate (65% vs 100%) and cell‐associated viremia (0.75 vs. 56.8 number of infectious unit/million cells) when CD8‐depleted CD4 + cells were tested. By contrast, no major differences in virus replication properties or cell tropism were observed. After 1 year of follow‐up, no major overall changes in the virological parameters was observed in the 50 LTNP subjects evaluated at this time. However, nine patients had started antiretroviral therapy, and six others had increased viral loads. Despite the progression observed during the first year of follow‐up, the hypothesis that there is a specific subgroup of LTNP patients who will not develop disease cannot be ruled out as yet. J. Med. Virol. 58:256–263, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.