HIV-specific CD8+ T-cell proliferative response 24 weeks after early antiretroviral therapy initiation is associated with the subsequent reduction in the viral reservoir.

ABSTRACT: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiated in the acute phase of HIV infection (AHI) results in a smaller viral reservoir. However, the impact of early HIV-specific T-cell responses on long-term reservoir dynamics is less well characterized. Therefore, we measured the size of the viral reservoir and functionality of HIV-specific CD8+ T-cell responses after the acute phase at 24 and 156 weeks after ART initiation in people with HIV who started treatment during AHI. A significant reduction in total and defective HIV DNA and a trend toward a reduction in intact HIV DNA were observed between 24 and 156 weeks. Functional CD8+ T-cell responses against HIV peptides Env, Gag, Nef, and Pol were maintained over 3 years after treatment initiation. The proliferative capacity of HIV-specific CD8+ T-cells a

SUBMITTER: van Paassen PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12829989 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature