Longitudinal comparison between plasma and seminal HIV-1 viral loads during antiretroviral treatment.
This study was designed to investigate the impact of anti-retroviral therapy on both plasma and seminal HIV-1 viral loads and the correlation between viral loads in these compartments after treatment. Viral load, CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell counts were evaluated in paired plasma and semen samples from 36 antiretroviral therapy-naive patients at baseline and on days 45, 90, and 180 of treatment. Slopes for blood and seminal viral loads in all treated patients were similar (p = 0.21). Median HIV-1 RNA titers in plasma and semen at baseline were 4.95 log10 and 4.48 log10 copies/ml, respectively. After 180 days of therapy, the median viral load declined to 3.15 log10 copies/ml (plasma) and 3.2 log10 copies/ml (semen). At this timepoint 22 patients presented HIV-1 viral load below 400 copies/ml in either plasma or semen, but only 9 had viral loads below 400 copies/ml in both compartments.
Pinto Neto
Lauro Ferreira da Silva
LF
Cellular and Molecular Immunology Laboratory, Núcieo de Doenças Infecciosas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Vitória, Vitória, ES, Brazil.
Vieira
Nilo F
NF
Soprani
Moacir
M
Cunha
Carla B
CB
Cabral
Valéria P
VP
Dietze
Reynaldo
R
Ribeiro-Rodrigues
Rodrigo
R
D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D012661:Semen / Q000821:virology*; D019562:Viral Load
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D012367:RNA, Viral