title: Maternal virus load during pregnancy and mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1: the French perinatal cohort studies. SEROGEST Cohort Group.
abstract: Virus load in pregnancy and its relation to mother-to-child human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission were studied prospectively. From 1989 to 1994, 320 HIV-infected women from 18 centers had plasma samples stored. Among women not receiving antiretroviral therapy, the polymerase chain reaction RNA level was 3.6 log at delivery, and 15% of women had levels below the detection limit. There was no variation during pregnancy. Women born in sub-Saharan Africa had lower RNA levels, although their CD4 cell distribution did not differ from that in other women. Among 236 evaluable children, 19% +/- 5% were infected. Transmission occurred in 12% of cases (confidence interval, 5%-22%) with <1000 copies/mL versus 29% +/- 10% of those with >10,000 copies/mL (P < .02). Maternal virus load appears strongly related to HIV transmission to the child.
authors.affiliation: SEROGEST Cohort and Unité 292 INSERM, Hôpital Kremlin Bicêtre, France.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mayaux
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dussaix
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Isopet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rekacewicz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mandelbrot
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ciraru-Vigneron
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Allemon
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chambrin
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Katlama
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Delfraissy
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Puel
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000208:ethnology; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000821:virology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral