Cell-associated HIV-1-DNA quantitation after highly active antiretroviral therapy-treated primary infection in patients with persistently undetectable plasma HIV-1 RNA

Objective: To determine the usefulness of cell-associated HIV-1-DNA quantif ication during the follow-up of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART )-treated primary-infected patients with persistently undetectable plasma R NA loads. Patients and methods: In 27 patients given HAART within a median of 24 days after symptomatic primary HIV infection, plasma and peripheral blood monon uclear cell (PBMC) HIV-1 RNA were less than 50 copies/ml and less than 50 c opies/10(6) cells after 18 months of treatment. HIV-1 RNA and DNA were quan tified every 6 months in PBMC in these 27 patients, 14 of whom accepted exc ision lymph node biopsy after month 18 for HIV-1-RNA and -DNA quantificatio n in lymph node mononuclear cells (LNMC). Results: The median decreases in plasma HIV-1 RNA, PBMC HIV-1 RNA and DNA o ver the 18 months of follow-up were 3.6 log (P < 0.005) 1.1 log (P < 0.05), and 1.0 log (P < 0.001), respectively. HIV-1 DNA was detected in 92.3% of PBMC samples at baseline and at month 18. In LNMC, 100% of samples were det ectable for HIV-1 DNA. Conclusion: In this highly selected population of patients with excellent p lasma virological response under HAART, HIV-1 DNA showed a progressive decr ease but was still detectable in 92.3% of samples at month 18, whereas all LNMC samples tested scored positive for HIV-1 DNA. The utility of proviral HIV-1-DNA monitoring was not clearly demonstrated in this 18-month follow-u p of HAART-treated primary-infected patients. However, this finding could b e reconsidered when using other therapeutic strategies such as structured t reatment interruptions, reinforced treatment or additive immunotherapy. (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.