title: Immunological and virological responses in HIV-1-infected adults at early stage of established infection treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the immunological and virological responses to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in blood and lymphoid compartments of HIV-1-infected patients at an early stage of infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  An open-label, observational, non-randomized, prospective trial of outpatients attending the Centre of Clinical Investigation in Infectious Diseases, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one antiretroviral-naive HIV-1-infected adults with 400 CD4 T cells/microl or greater and 5000 plasma HIV-1-RNA copies/ml or greater were enrolled, and 32 finished the study. Forty-nine HIV-negative individuals were included as controls. All subjects gave written informed consent.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients received abacavir 300 mg by mouth every 12 h and amprenavir 1200 mg by mouth every 12 h for 72 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  The extent of immune reconstitution in blood and lymph nodes after 72 weeks of HAART was evaluated, and compared with immunological measures of 49 HIV-negative subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Virus replication was effectively suppressed (-3.5 log10 at week 72). Substantial increments of CD4 T cell count in blood and percentage in lymph nodes were observed over time, and these measures were comparable to HIV-negative subjects by week 24 in blood and by week 48 in lymph nodes. The increase was equally distributed between naive and memory CD4 T cells. Recovery of HIV-specific CD4 responses occurred in 40% of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The initiation of HAART at an early stage of established HIV infection induces systemic quantitative normalization of CD4 T cells, a partial recovery of HIV-specific CD4 cell responses, and effective and durable suppression of virus replication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Bart
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Rizzardi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tambussi
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Chave
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Chapuis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Graziosi
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Corpataux
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Halkic
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Meuwly
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Munoz
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meylan
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Spreen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McDade
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yerly
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Perrin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lazzarin
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pantaleo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D002219:Carbamates; D015224:Dideoxynucleosides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005663:Furans; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019562:Viral Load; D000099227:Abacavir
chemical_list: D002219:Carbamates; D015224:Dideoxynucleosides; D005663:Furans; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors; D012367:RNA, Viral; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D013449:Sulfonamides; D000099227:Abacavir; C095108:amprenavir