title: Human gammaherpesviruses viraemia in HIV infected patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) are consistently associated with lymphoproliferative diseases and cancers in humans, notably in patients with HIV.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to evaluate whether EBV and/or KSHV viral loads regularly assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) correlate with clinical or laboratorial parameters retrieved for patients living with HIV.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a longitudinal study with a cohort of 157 HIV positive patients attending an academic HIV outpatient clinic in São Paulo State, Brazil. For each patient, up to four blood samples were collected over a 1 year clinical follow-up: on enrolment into the study, and after 4, 8 and 12 months. Total DNA was extracted from PBMC, and EBV and KSHV viral loads were assessed by real time quantitative PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher viral loads for EBV were significantly associated with high HIV viraemia, a greater number of circulating T CD8+ cells and lack of virological response to the antiretroviral treatment. KSHV viral load was undetectable in virtually all samples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EBV viral load in PBMC correlated with the number of circulating T CD8+ lymphocytes and the response to the antiretroviral therapy in HIV infected patients. In contrast, KSHV was undetectable in PBMC, presumably an effect of the antiretroviral treatment. Therefore, either KSHV infection in the population studied was absent or viral load in PBMC was beyond the analytical limit of the assay.
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department at Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Ferraz da Silva
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department at Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leila Bertoni
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Giron
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department at Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Suzane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramos da Silva
authors.affiliation: Tropical Diseases and Diagnostic Imaging Department at Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naime Barbosa
authors.affiliation: Tropical Diseases and Diagnostic Imaging Department at Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Augusto Monteiro de Barros
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department at Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil Biotechnology Institute (IBTEC), São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Deilson
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5562-9648
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Elgui de Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D060085:Coinfection; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology*; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014766:Viremia / Q000150:complications*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: EBV; HIV; IMMUNOCOMPRISED HOST; INFECTIONS; KAPOSI'S SARCOMA