title: Markers associated with persisting low-level viraemia under antiretroviral therapy in HIV-1 infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify host and viral characteristics associated with long-term persisting low-level viraemia (PLLV) under antiretroviral therapy (ART).
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-one ART-treated patients with long-term PLLV (20-250 copies/mL) and 102 control patients with systematically undetectable viral load (VL) were selected retrospectively from ART-treated patients followed at the Ghent HIV reference centre. Host and viral characteristics were compared using univariate and multivariate analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher plasma VL at therapy initiation (OR 3.52; 95% CI 1.86-6.65; P < 0.001), therapy re-initiation after an interruption (OR 3.94; 95% CI 1.70-9.16; P = 0.001), male gender (OR 4.28; 95% CI 1.40-13.00; P = 0.011), a protease inhibitor-based regimen (OR 2.90; 95% CI 1.20-6.97; P = 0.017) and predicted CCR5 co-receptor tropism (OR 2.53; 95% CI 1.05-6.11; P = 0.039) were independently associated with PLLV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VL at ART initiation, therapy history, gender, ART regimen and co-receptor tropism were independently associated with PLLV. Gender, therapy history, co-receptor tropism and VL at ART initiation could be valuable predictive markers to identify patients at risk for PLLV.
authors: AIDS Reference Laboratory, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185-Blok A, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Leen
authors: L
authors: Vancoillie
authors: Els
authors: E
authors: Demecheleer
authors: Steven
authors: S
authors: Callens
authors: Dirk
authors: D
authors: Vogelaers
authors: Linos
authors: L
authors: Vandekerckhove
authors: Virginie
authors: V
authors: Mortier
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Verhofstede
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D019562:Viral Load
keywords: HIV; therapy response; viral load