title: Conversion rate towards a syncytium-inducing (SI) phenotype during different stages of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection and prognostic value of SI phenotype for survival after AIDS diagnosis.
abstract: The presence of syncytium-inducing (SI) human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) variants is predictive for accelerated progression to AIDS. This study showed that a 4-year survival with AIDS also occurred significantly more often for patients who lacked SI variants. However, multivariate Cox analysis excluded the predictive value of SI viruses for rapid death as being independent from low CD4+ T cell counts. Incidence of appearance of SI variants was increased in persons with CD4+ T cell counts <500/microliter but remained constant in the strata of CD4+ T cell counts <500/microliter, excluding the possibility that loss of immune control is the only prerequisite for the development of SI HIV-1 variants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Viro-Immunology, Central Laboratory of the Netherlands Red Cross, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands. m_koot@clb.nl
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koot
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Leeuwen
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: de Goede
authors.forename: I P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Keet
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Danner
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Eeftinck Schattenkerk
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reiss
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tersmette
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schuitemaker
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology*; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010641:Phenotype; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D015996:Survival Rate