title: Dynamics of the resting CD4(+) T-cell latent HIV reservoir in infants initiating HAART less than 6 months of age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Identification of HIV infection in exposed infants facilitates early therapy, which may limit viral reservoirs that maintain HIV infection under HAART.
  
  
  METHODS
  The dynamics of the resting CD4 T-cell latent HIV reservoir was determined over the first 2 years of life in 17 HIV-infected infants initiating lopinavir/ritonavir-based HAART at a median age of 8.1 weeks and achieving adequate suppression of plasma viral load by 24 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The resting CD4 T-cell latent HIV reservoir was detected in 12 of 14 (86%) infants tested at 24 weeks of HAART [median frequency 1.88 infectious units per million (IUPM); range <0.22 to 81.7), and remained measurable (median IUPM = 0.32; range <0.22 to 3.25) in six of 10 (60%) children retested at 96 weeks. The reservoir declined, from 24 to 96 weeks of HAART, at an estimated mean rate of 0.028 log10 IUPM/month, corresponding to a half-life of 11 months (95% confidence interval 6-30 months]. A strong relationship was found between the frequency of latently infected CD4 T cells at 96 weeks of HAART and time to first undetectable plasma viral load (Spearman r = 0.91, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the resting CD4 T-cell latent reservoir remains detectable over the first 2 years of HAART in a substantial proportion of infants, its size is associated with time to first undetectable viral load. To minimize HIV reservoirs in infants, rapid curtailment of viremia may limit HIV reservoirs and should be a therapeutic goal of early HAART in infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. dpers@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Persaud
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Palumbo
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ziemniak
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Carmelita G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Alvero
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Luzuriaga
authors.forename: Ram
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yogev
authors.forename: Edmund V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Capparelli
authors.forename: Ellen G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Chadwick
mesh_terms: D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D061466:Lopinavir / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D019438:Ritonavir / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load; D017735:Virus Latency; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors; D061466:Lopinavir; D019438:Ritonavir