title: Virus burden in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected children: relationship to disease status and effect of antiviral therapy.
abstract: The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) was isolated from the plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from each of 21 infected children. The mean titers in plasma were 7 and 165 tissue culture-infective doses per milliliter in 9 children with asymptomatic (P-1) and 12 with symptomatic (P-2) infection, respectively (P = .0013). Significantly higher viral titers were found in PBMCs obtained from P-2 compared with P-1 children: 1920 vs 25 tissue culture-infective doses per 10(6) PBMC (P = .0018). In symptomatic patients at least 1 in 520 circulating mononuclear cells harbored HIV-1. No correlation was found between the viral burden and CD4+ lymphocyte counts. A decrease in the HIV-1 titers was noted both in PBMCs and plasma of symptomatic patients treated with zidovudine for 2 to 7 months. It is concluded that symptomatic children harbor a higher amount of the virus in plasma and PBMCs than asymptomatic children. Zidovudine treatment for 2 months or more decreased the amount of HIV-1 in PBMCs and plasma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Ahmanson Pediatric Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Srugo
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Brunell
authors.forename: N V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Chelyapov
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Israele
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D001822:Body Burden; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D015215:Zidovudine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens; D015215:Zidovudine