Early Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy Following In Utero HIV Infection Is Associated With Low Viral Reservoirs but Other Factors Determine Viral Rebound.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Early HIV diagnosis allows combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) initiation in the first days of life following in utero (IU) infection. The impact of early cART initiation on infant viral reservoir size in the setting of high-frequency cART nonadherence is unknown.

Methods

Peripheral blood total HIV DNA from 164 early treated (day 0-21 of life) IU HIV-infected South African infants was measured using droplet digital PCR at birth and following suppressive cART. We evaluated the impact of cART initiation timing on HIV reservoir size and decay, and on the risk of subsequent plasma viremia in cART-suppressed infants.

Results

Baseline HIV DNA (median 2.8 log10 copies/million peripheral blood mononuclear cells, range 0.7-4.8) did not correlate with age at cA

SUBMITTER: Millar JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8643423 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature