title: Determining seminal plasma human immunodeficiency virus type 1 load in the context of efficient highly active antiretroviral therapy.
abstract: The semen plasma virus load is measured to ensure the safety of sperm processing during medically assisted procreation (MAP) for couples with a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected man. A practical, automated protocol using the COBAS Ampliprep CAP/CTM kit in the COBAS TaqMan96 system was developed to measure the HIV-1 load in semen plasma samples. HIV-1 was detected in 13.4% of the semen samples processed at our MAP center. Of the eight patients having a detectable semen HIV-1 load, five had no detectable virus in their blood plasma. This highlights the residual risk of HIV-1 transmission during unprotected intercourse and raises the question of the possible consequences of ineffective highly active antiretroviral therapy in the genital tract.
authors.affiliation: Service de Virologie, CHU de Toulouse, Institut Fédératif de Biologie, TSA40031, 330 avenue de Grande Bretagne, Toulouse F-31059, France. pasquier.c@chu-toulouse.fr
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pasquier
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sauné
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raymond
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moinard
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daudin
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bujan
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Izopet
mesh_terms: D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D001769:Blood / Q000821:virology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques / Q000379:methods; D012661:Semen / Q000821:virology*; D019562:Viral Load