Relationship between the size of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reservoir in peripheral blood CD4+ T cells and CD4+:CD8+ T cell ratios in aviremic HIV-1-infected individuals receiving long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy.
It has been demonstrated that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication persists in most infected individuals receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). However, studies addressing the relationship between low levels of ongoing viral replication and immunologic parameters, such as the CD4+:CD8+ T cell ratio, in such individuals have been lacking. Here, a statistically significant inverse correlation is shown between the frequency of CD4+ T cells carrying HIV-1 proviral DNA and the CD4+:CD8+ T cell ratio in infected individuals receiving HAART and in whom plasma viremia had been suppressed below the limit of detection for prolonged periods of time. No correlation was found between the frequency of HIV-1-specific cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes (CTLs) and the CD4+:CD8+ T cell ratios in those individuals. These data suggest that persistent, low-level, ongoing viral replication, although not sufficient to maintain HIV-1-specific CTL responses, may explain, in part, why normalization of the CD4+:CD8+ T cell ratio is not achieved in some infected individuals successfully treated with HAART.
Chun
Tae-Wook
TW
Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bldg. 10 Room GA32, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. twchun@nih.gov
Justement
J Shawn
JS
Pandya
Punita
P
Hallahan
Claire W
CW
McLaughlin
Mary
M
Liu
Shuying
S
Ehler
Linda A
LA
Kovacs
Colin
C
Fauci
Anthony S
AS
D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans
D004279:DNA, Viral