The characterization of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral kinetics in hospitalized patients and its association with mortality is unknown. We analyzed death and nasopharyngeal viral kinetics in 655 hospitalized patients from the prospective French COVID cohort. The model predicted a median peak viral load that coincided with symptom onset. Patients with age ≥65 y had a smaller loss rate of infected cells, leading to a delayed median time to viral clearance occurring 16 d after symptom onset as compared to 13 d in younger patients (P < 10−4). In multivariate analysis, the risk factors associated with mortality were age ≥65 y, male gender, and presence of chronic pulmonary disease (hazard ratio [HR] > 2.0). Using a joint model, viral dynamics after hospital admission was an independent predictor of mortality (HR = 1.31, P < 10−3). Finally, we used our model to simulate the effects of effective pharmacological interventions on time to viral clearance and mortality. A treatment able to reduce viral production by 90% upon hospital admission would shorten the time to viral clearance by 2.0 and 2.9 d in patients of age <65 y and ≥65 y, respectively. Assuming that the association between viral dynamics and mortality would remain similar to that observed in our population, this could translate into a reduction of mortality from 19 to 14% in patients of age ≥65 y with risk factors. Our results show that viral dynamics is associated with mortality in hospitalized patients. Strategies aiming to reduce viral load could have an effect on mortality rate in this population.
Raltegravir (MK-0518) is a potent inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) integrase and isclinically effective against viruses resistant to other classes of antiretroviral agents. However, it can select mutations in the HIV integrase gene. Nine heavily pretreated patients who received salvage therapy including raltegravir and who subsequently developed virological failure under raltegravir therapy were studied. For each patient, the sequences of the integrase-coding region were determined and compared to that at the beginning of the treatment. Four different mutation profiles were identified in these nine patients: E92Q, G140S Q148H, N155H, and E157Q mutations. For four patients, each harboring a different profile, the wild-type and mutated integrases were produced, purified, and assayed in vitro. All the mutations identified altered the activities of integrase protein: both 3 processing and strand transfer activities were moderately affected in the E92Q mutant; strand transfer was markedly impaired in the N155H mutant; both activities were strongly impaired in the G140S Q148H mutant; and the E157Q mutant was almost completely inactive. The sensitivities of wild-type and mutant integrases to raltegravir were compared. The E92Q and G140S Q148H profiles were each associated with a 7-to 8-fold decrease in sensitivity, and the N155H mutant was more than 14-fold less sensitive to raltegravir. At least four genetic profiles (E92Q, G140S Q148H, N155H, and E157Q) can be associated with in vivo treatment failure and resistance to raltegravir. These mutations led to strong impairment of enzymes in vitro in the absence of raltegravir: strand transfer activity was affected, and in some cases 3 processing was also impaired.
The development and validation of dried sample spots as a method of specimen collection are urgently needed in developing countries for monitoring of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Our aim was to test some crucial steps in the use of dried spots, i.e., viral recovery and storage over time. Moreover, we investigated whether dried plasma and blood spots (DPS and DBS, respectively) give comparable viral load (VL) results. Four manual RNA extraction methods from commercial HIV type 1 (HIV-1) VL assays-a QIAamp minikit (Qiagen), the Abbott Molecular sample preparation system, the Nuclisens assay (bioMarieux), and High Pure viral nucleic acid kit (Roche Applied Science)-were compared for VL quantification and PCR amplification for genotypic drug resistance testing on dried spots from spiked plasma and residual samples from HIV-1 patients (n ؍ 47; median VL, 4.13 log 10 copies/ml). RNA recovery from DPS was efficient using Nuclisens extraction (median difference, 0.03 log 10 copies/ml) and slightly underestimated using the Abbott Molecular sample preparation system (median difference, 0.35 log 10 copies/ml). PCR amplification results were in concordance. Measurements from DBS overestimated VL for plasma, with VL results showing <3.7 log 10 copies/ml. VL was stable for up to 3 months in spiked DPS stored at 20°C but for only 1 month at 37°C. A faster decline was observed in PCR efficiency: DPS could be stored for 1 week at 37°C and for 1 month at 20°C. In conclusion, the RNA extraction method is an important factor in obtaining reliable RNA quantification and PCR amplification of HIV-1 on DPS/DBS. DBS could be used as an alternative for DPS depending on HIV RNA cutoffs for virological failure. VL measurements remain stable over a longer period than do PCR amplification results.Due to the efforts of national programs and the support of a wide range of international partners, the number of people receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-limited countries has increased significantly over recent years, most notably in sub-Saharan Africa (24). In order to limit the emergence of resistance to antiretroviral drugs, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment should ideally be accompanied by periodic virological monitoring, such as viral load and resistance testing. However, in resource-limited countries, viral load monitoring and drug resistance tests are not yet available at an affordable cost, and infrastructure requirements limit the scale-up in access to these tests. Treatment initiation and modifications are thus guided mainly by clinical disease progression and by CD4 cell counts, when possible (13, 24). As a consequence, many people with virological failure stay on inadequate drug regimens for long periods. Rapid or uncontrolled emergence of HIV drug resistance is thus feared as a potential consequence of ART scale-up in resource-limited countries. Therefore, ART resistance monitoring is not recommended at the individual patient level in low-income countries, and the WHO has established a sys...
Stavudine/didanosine combination therapy is associated with emergence of zidovudine-related resistance or MDR mutations in naive patients. These findings should be considered when optimizing salvage therapy for patients who have received a treatment including stavudine/didanosine combination.
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