Beneficial effect of GB virus C co-infection in Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1-infected individuals.
Several reports have documented a better prognosis for HIV-1-infected patients co-infected with GBV-C, while other reports have contradicted such findings with the result that this issue remains controversial. We attempted to clarify the complicated status of the effect of GBV-C co-infection on HIV-1-infected patients. GBV-C RNA was detected in 37 samples in 182 HIV-1-infected patients (20.3%) using RT/nested PCR. Of these, 3 were determined to be GBV-C genotype 1, 12 were genotype 2, and the remaining 22 were genotype 3. The GBV-C viral load quantified by real-time PCR ranged from 7.8x10(3) to 3.3x10(6) copies/ml. Weakly negative correlation was observed between GBV-C viral load and HIV-1 viral load in 19 HAART-naïve patients, indicating that a higher GBV-C viral load is associated with a greater suppression of HIV-1 replication. A previously published in vitro study suggested that GBV-C infection would induce up-regulation of RANTES, leading to suppression of HIV-1 replication. However, in our present study, the blood RANTES level was significantly lower in the GBV-C co-infected group than in the uninfected group (190-9,959 vs. 264-31,038 pg/ml, P=0.004). Our results suggested that a suppression of HIV-1 replication by GBV-C co-infection is not mediated by up-regulated RANTES, and thus call for another as yet unknown factor.
Hattori
Junko
J
Clinical Research Center, National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center (Tokai Area Central Hospital for AIDS Treatment and Research), Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
Okumura
Naoya
N
Yamazaki
Yumiko
Y
Uchiyama
Masataka
M
Hamaguchi
Motohiro
M
Nishiyama
Yukihiro
Y
Kaneda
Tsuguhiro
T
D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D018178:Flaviviridae Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D029407:GB virus C / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005838:Genotype; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D019562:Viral Load; D014779:Virus Replication
D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D012367:RNA, Viral