Comparison of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Viral Loads in Kenyan Women, Men, and Infants during Primary and Early Infection

Abstract

Steady-state levels of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA in plasma reached at approximately 4 months postinfection are highly predictive of disease progression. Several studies have investigated viral levels in adults or infants during primary and early infection. However, no studies have directly compared these groups. We compared differences in peak and set point plasma HIV-1 RNA viral loads among antiretrovirus-naive Kenyan infants and adults for whom the timing of infection was well defined. Peak and set point viral loads were significantly higher in infants than in adults. We did not observe any gender-specific differences in viral set point in either adults or infants. However, infants who acquired HIV-1 in the first 2 months of life, either in utero, intrapartum, or through early breast milk transmission, had significantly higher set point HIV-1 RNA levels than infants who were infected after 2 months of age through late breast milk transmission or adults who were infected through heterosexual transmission.

Longitudinal Assessment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1)-Specific Gamma Interferon Responses during the First Year of Life in HIV-1-Infected Infants

“…The patterns of HIV-1 peak and set-point plasma viral loads are very different in adults and infants (49). In infants, the levels of HIV-1 plasma viremia are persistently high, with declines not seen until the second year of life (17,18,37).…”

Timely triggering of homeostatic mechanisms involved in the regulation of T-cell levels in SIVsm-infected sooty mangabeys

“…These levels are generally comparable to the viral loads seen in HIV-infected patients and SIVmac-infected macaques during acute infection. 17,30 After peak viremia, a decline in viral load by 1 to 2 logs between 3 and 10 weeks of infection was observed. Thereafter, a viral set point was established in the range of 10 5 to 10 7 copies per milliliter and remained at that level until 37 weeks after infection ( Figure 1A).…”

Rapid Virus Dissemination in Infant Macaques after Oral Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Exposure in the Presence of Local Innate Immune Responses

“…Pediatric HIV infections are often characterized by persistent high levels of viremia and a more rapid disease course than in HIV-1-infected adults (35,41). Assuming that the viral set-point is determined early in infection (15,42), a better understanding of the mechanisms of oral HIV-1 transmission and early virus-host interactions at mucosal entry sites is needed.…”