title: Virologic characterization of primary human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection in a health care worker following needlestick injury.
abstract: A health care worker (HCW) was infected via needlestick with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 from a subject with AIDS who harbored a zidovudine-resistant, syncytium-inducing (SI) HIV strain. The phenotypic characteristics of the HIV-1 isolates obtained from the HCW and markers of virus load were followed for 20 months. Although the HCW was initially infected with an SI strain, within 75 days of infection the isolate became non-SI and remained so for > or = 635 days. Even though the AIDS patient had a zidovudine-resistant virus, the HCW was infected with a zidovudine-sensitive virus. Plasma RNA levels peaked 20 days after infection, declined rapidly within 2 weeks, and remained stable for the duration of follow-up. Similarly, the HCW's CD4 lymphocyte count remained stable throughout the study. Thus, selection for non-SI and zidovudine-sensitive virus occurred in the HCW, who, after initial symptomatic infection associated with high levels of plasma HIV-1 RNA, developed low plasma RNA copy numbers and stable CD4 lymphocyte counts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0672, USA.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McKinney
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kwok
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Spector
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission*; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000097:blood; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional; D016602:Needlestick Injuries; D010641:Phenotype; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors; D015215:Zidovudine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D015483:HIV Antibodies; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D012367:RNA, Viral; D015215:Zidovudine