title: Longitudinal comparison between plasma and seminal HIV-1 viral loads during antiretroviral treatment.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Immunology Laboratory, Núcieo de Doenças Infecciosas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Vitória, Vitória, ES, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lauro Ferreira da Silva
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Pinto Neto
authors.forename: Nilo F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: Moacir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soprani
authors.forename: Carla B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.forename: Valéria P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Cabral
authors.forename: Reynaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dietze
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ribeiro-Rodrigues
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D012367:RNA, Viral