title: [HIV vaginal viral load in Brazilian HIV-infected women].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate factors associated to presence of free RNA-HIV in the vagina.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study with HIV-infected women, excluding those who had undergone hysterectomy, had used vaginal medication within the last 48 hours, had had unprotected sex less than 72 hours before, were pregnant, or had genital bleeding. After signing an informed consent, blood samples were obtained for T CD4 lymphocytes count and plasmatic viral load, in addition to cervico-vaginal lavage using 10 mL of sterile normal saline, later centrifuged, aliquoted and stored at - 70 degrees C to quantify free HIV-RNA. Plasmatic and vaginal viral load were measured using the kit HIV Monitor v1.5 Cobas Amplicor, Roche. Hybrid Capture test Digene was utilized for HPV (high and low risk), chlamydia trachomatis and N. gonorrhoea detection from an endocervical sample. Vaginal swab for bacterioscopy by the Gram method, evaluated according to Nugent criteria was obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 200 women evaluated, 73.5% were using HAART. The RNA-HIV was detectable in the vaginal lavage of 18 (9%), but in only one of those who had undetectable plasma viral load (0.5%). The vaginal prevalence of HIV was 24 times higher among those with detectable plasmatic HIV. Plasma viral load > 1500 copies/mL, no HAART use, reduced CD4 and bacterial vaginosis had increased prevalence of vaginal HIV-RNA, but in the adjusted statistical analysis, only the former remained significant
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence of vaginal HIV-RNA was low (9%). Plasmatic viral load > 1500 copies/mL, was the only risk factor for free vaginal HIV-RNA.
authors.affiliation: Unicamp, Campinas, SP, Brazil. elianaa@unicamp.br
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Eliana
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.forename: José Eduardo
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.forename: Priscila
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Portugal
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Villarroel
authors.forename: Karina C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Bezerra
authors.forename: Marcos T Nolasco da
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Sirlei Siani
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Morais
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014621:Vagina / Q000821:virology*; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D012367:RNA, Viral