Long-term immunovirologic control following antiretroviral therapy interruption in patients treated at the time of primary HIV-1 infection.
Five out of 32 patients who received very early and prolonged antiretroviral therapy displayed an unusual, sustained immunovirological control after treatment discontinuation (mean duration: 77 months). These 'post-treatment controllers' did not have the genetic characteristics of spontaneous 'elite' controllers, although they shared very low and stable level of viral reservoir. Treatment may have dramatically decreased this reservoir and preserved potent HIV-specific immunologic responses, inducing a new balance between the virus and the host's immune system in these patients.
Hocqueloux
Laurent
L
Service de Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, CentreHospitalier Régional d'Orléans -La Source, Orléans Cedex 2, France. laurent.hocqueloux@chr-orleans.fr
Prazuck
Thierry
T
Avettand-Fenoel
Véronique
V
Lafeuillade
Alain
A
Cardon
Bernard
B
Viard
Jean-Paul
JP
Rouzioux
Christine
C
D000328:Adult; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000187:drug effects*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019562:Viral Load
D004279:DNA, Viral