Herpes simplex virus type 2 acquisition during recent HIV infection does not influence plasma HIV levels.
We assessed the effect of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) acquisition on the plasma HIV RNA and CD4 cell levels among individuals with primary HIV infection using a retrospective cohort analysis. We studied 119 adult, antiretroviral-naive, recently HIV-infected men with a negative HSV-2-specific enzyme immunoassay (EIA) result at enrollment. HSV-2 acquisition was determined by seroconversion on HSV-2 EIA, confirmed by Western blot analysis. Ten men acquired HSV-2 infection a median of 1.3 years after HIV infection (HSV-2 incidence rate of 7.4 per 100 person-years of follow-up). The median time of follow-up after acquiring HSV-2 infection was 303 days. All men except 1 were asymptomatic during HSV-2 acquisition, and only 1 HSV-2 seroconverter, who was asymptomatic, had a transient increase in blood HIV load (0.5 log10 copies/mL over 11 days). The HSV-2 incidence rate was high in our cohort of recently HIV-infected individuals; however, HSV-2 acquisition did not significantly change the plasma HIV dynamics and CD4 cell levels.
Cachay
Edward R
ER
University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92103-8681, USA. ecachay@ucsd.edu
Frost
Simon D W
SD
Poon
Art F Y
AF
Looney
David
D
Rostami
Sherry M
SM
Pacold
Mary E
ME
Richman
Douglas D
DD
Little
Susan J
SJ
Smith
Davey M
DM
D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006678:HIV / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019562:Viral Load
D012367:RNA, Viral