Effect of GB virus C coinfection on response to antiretroviral treatment in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients.
To study how GB virus C (GBV-C) coinfection affects the response to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), 146 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients were tested for GBV-C RNA and antibodies against GBV-C E2 protein, and responses to HAART were evaluated. GBV-C-infected patients exhibited a complete virological response to HAART more often than patients without [correction] GBV-C and had a greater increase in median CD4 cell count and a marginally greater median HIV RNA level decrease. This association was found to be independent of baseline CD4 cell count and plasma HIV RNA, which indicates that an association exists between GBV-C infection and response to HAART.
Rodriguez
Benigno
B
University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University Center for AIDS Research, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.
Woolley
Ian
I
Lederman
Michael M
MM
Zdunek
Dietmar
D
Hess
Georg
G
Valdez
Hernán
H
D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D005260:Female; D018178:Flaviviridae Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology*; D029407:GB virus C / Q000502:physiology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D012367:RNA, Viral