Residual human immunodeficiency virus type 1 viremia in some patients on antiretroviral therapy is dominated by a small number of invariant clones rarely found in circulating CD4+ T cells.

ABSTRACT: Antiretroviral therapy can reduce human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) viremia to below the detection limit of ultrasensitive clinical assays (50 copies of HIV-1 RNA/ml). However, latent HIV-1 persists in resting CD4+ T cells, and low residual levels of free virus are found in the plasma. Limited characterization of this residual viremia has been done because of the low number of virions per sample. Using intensive sampling, we analyzed residual viremia and compared these viruses to latent proviruses in resting CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood. For each patient, we found some viruses in the plasma that were identical to viruses in resting CD4+ T cells by pol gene sequencing. However, in a majority of patients, the most common viruses in the plasma were rarely found in resting CD4+ T

SUBMITTER: Bailey JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1488985 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature