title: Acute HIV infection: the impact of anti-retroviral treatment on cellular immune responses.
abstract: The overall value of initiating anti-retroviral therapy during the acute phase of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection remains unclear. From a clinical perspective, the lack of data from controlled randomized clinical trials limits understanding of long-term effects of treatment on the clinical course of HIV infection. Based on available data, the impact of anti-retroviral therapy during acute infection on the immune response against HIV-1 is not particularly encouraging. Recent observations on the very early depletion of lymphocyte reservoirs in the gastrointestinal tract may partially explain the limited benefit of anti-retroviral therapy initiated during the acute phase of HIV-1 infection. This may also help to explain the dichotomy between early observations demonstrating apparent immunological benefit with early anti-retroviral treatment that were associated none the less with inability to control viral replication following treatment interruption.
authors.affiliation: Duke University Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gay
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrari
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents