No abstract

This report is unique in showing drug-induced compartmentalization of viral quasispecies under the control of different HAART regimens in both plasma and PBMC. Introduction and withdrawal of zidovudine from the HAART regimen had direct bearing on the appearance and disappearance of specific zidovudine drug-resistance mutations in plasma-derived virus. This data has important implications for the management of HIV-infected patients with poor compliance with certain HAART regimens, and also in predicting the late emergence of drug-resistance mutations via the latent integrated provirus.

Overall, STI for HIV patients has no added advantage over regular HAART at the virologic level and in the diminution of resistance mutations that result in therapy failure. Under both forms of anti-retroviral therapies, virus could be isolated in vitro from the PBMC showing continuing low-level viral replication under suppressive therapy. Overall, these data may be useful in predicting the late emergence of drug resistance mutations via the latent integrated provirus.

These results suggest that certain HAART regimens influence the surface expression of CXCR4, which may have profound implications for antiretroviral treatment.