title: Cell-free virus in breast milk of HIV-1-seropositive women.
abstract: To examine the prevalence, quantification, and factors that influence HIV in the cell-free compartment of breast milk, we performed reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on samples obtained from HIV-1-infected study subjects. Virus was detected in 86 of 136 samples (63.2%) from 79 study subjects. HIV RNA quantity ranged from undetectable to 227,586 copies/ml. Prevalence and mean viral load were not affected by postnatal ages or maternal vitamin A supplementation. Among study subjects with multiple samples, breast milk viral load did not change at different postnatal ages. Breast milk viral load correlated positively with plasma viral load (r = 0.47; p =.005) and negatively with maternal CD4 count at entry to the study (r = -0.26; p =.02). Mothers of HIV-infected children had a higher proportion of detectable HIV RNA in their breast milk than mothers of uninfected children (p =.03) and higher mean log10 HIV RNA quantities (p =.04). In a multivariate logistic regression model, log10 HIV RNA quantity in breast milk was significantly associated with the risk of mother-child transmission (odds ratio [OR], 2.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-6.51). Thus, prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections and of mastitis and early weaning may be important elements of a public health policy that is relevant to women in developing countries with HIV infection. Where available, antiretrovirals may also have an impact on opportunistic infections and mastitis.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Paediatrics and Child Health, and Department of Virology, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pillay
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coutsoudis
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: York
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Coovadia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction