       Document 0246
 DOCN  M9460246
 TI    Circulating HIV-1-infected cell burden from seroconversion to AIDS:
       importance of postseroconversion viral load on disease course.
 DT    9404
 AU    Lee TH; Sheppard HW; Reis M; Dondero D; Osmond D; Busch MP; Irwin
       Memorial Blood Centers, San Francisco, CA 94118-4496.
 SO    J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 1994 Apr;7(4):381-8. Unique Identifier :
       AIDSLINE MED/94180313
 AB    The purpose of this study was to characterize quantitative changes in
       circulating infected cells over the natural history of human
       immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease in relation to
       clinical/immunological outcome. HIV-1 gag DNA polymerase chain reaction
       (PCR) and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) co-cultures were
       performed on limiting dilutions of cryopreserved PBMC from specimens
       collected at enrollment and after 5 years of follow-up from nine
       seropositive subjects classified as rapid progressors, nine intermediate
       progressors, and 10 nonprogressors. Limiting dilution PCR was also
       performed on serial pre/postseroconversion specimens from 18
       seroconvertors. By quantitative DNA PCR analysis, the infected cell
       burden was significantly higher at enrollment in the RP [mean of 330 PCR
       units (PCRU)/10(6) PBMCs] than in the IP (160 PCRU/10(6) PBMCs) and NP
       (73 PCRU/10(6) PBMCs) groups (p = 0.05). When results were analyzed on
       an individual level with proportional hazard regression, baseline PCRU
       (p = 0.05) and CD4 slope (p = 0.0007) were significantly associated with
       developing acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in 5 years, but
       baseline tissue culture infectious units (TCIU) was not. The increase in
       PCR-positive cells after 5 years was modest in all three groups (two- to
       fivefold), whereas the proportion of PCR-positive cells that yielded
       virus in culture increased significantly (21- to 31-fold) over time in
       all three groups. Infected cell burden in postseroconversion specimens
       was relatively stable within each subject, but varied greatly (from 1.6
       to 1,024 PCRU/10(6) PBMCs) among subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250
       WORDS)
 DE    Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/IMMUNOLOGY/*MICROBIOLOGY  Cohort
       Studies  Cryopreservation  DNA, Viral/BLOOD  Human  HIV
       Seropositivity/IMMUNOLOGY/*MICROBIOLOGY
       HIV-1/GENETICS/IMMUNOLOGY/*PHYSIOLOGY  Leukocyte Count  Leukocytes,
       Mononuclear/*MICROBIOLOGY  Longitudinal Studies  Male  Polymerase Chain
       Reaction  Proportional Hazards Models
       Proviruses/GENETICS/IMMUNOLOGY/PHYSIOLOGY  Reproducibility of Results
       Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.  T4 Lymphocytes
       Viremia/IMMUNOLOGY/MICROBIOLOGY  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

