title: Human T cell lymphotropic virus type I does not increase human immunodeficiency virus viral load in vivo.
abstract: Human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) can increase human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication in vitro, and several studies suggest that HTLV-I accelerates the progression of HIV infection. To determine whether HTLV-I enhances HIV replication in vivo, a case-control study was done of serum HIV viral load, using polymerase chain reaction, in 23 subjects with HTLV-I/HIV coinfection and 92 control subjects with HIV single infection. The geometric mean serum RNA level was 11,482 copies/mL in the coinfected group and 13,804 in the single-infection group (P = .57), a result that did not change after adjustment for zidovudine use and CD4 cell count. Among subjects with advanced HIV infection, there was a trend toward higher viral load among singly infected subjects. HTLV-I did not appear to increase HIV plasma RNA levels in subjects with coinfection. These results do not provide a biologic basis for the hypothesis that HTLV-I accelerates the course of HIV infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pennsylvania 15261, USA. LHARRISO+@PITT.EDU
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schechter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006678:HIV / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D019562:Viral Load; D015215:Zidovudine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D012367:RNA, Viral; D015215:Zidovudine