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Response
to HAART and GB Virus Type C Coinfection in a Cohort of Treatment-naive
HIV Patients
The
prognostic role of GB
virus type C (GBV-C)
viremia in HIV-infected subjects treated with HAART is still undefined.
The aim of this analysis is to assess the relationship between GBV-C
infection and response to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected
subjects initiating HAART when antiretroviral-naive.
A
prospective, observational study of 400 HIV-infected patients with
measurements of GBV-C RNA, hepatitis
C virus (HCV)
antibodies
and HCV RNA determined from plasma stored prior to HAART initiation.
Time
to virological (achieving HIV RNA /=200 cells/microliter), and the
time to virological relapse (confirmed HIV RNA >500 copies/ml) were assessed by Kaplan–Meier
methods and Cox proportional hazard regression model.
Results
·
Of
the subjects, 117 (29.3%) were GBV-C positive and, overall, 351
(87.8%) patients achieved virological success.
·
After
controlling for a number of confounders including HCV RNA, GBV-C
viremic patients experienced a significantly lower risk of HIV
rebound than those who were GBV-C negative (P=0.03).
·
Conversely,
the probability of achieving initial virological success or CD4+
count response after HAART did not differ between GBV-C-negative
and -positive subjects.
The
authors conclude, “These results suggest that GBV-C coinfection
may play a role in determining the rate of HIV rebound possibly
by competing with HIV replication after HIV load has been successfully
suppressed by HAART.”
05/23/05
Reference
G
Antonucci and others. Response to HAART and GB virus type C coinfection
in a cohort of antiretroviral-naive HIV-infected individuals. Antiviral
Therapy 10: 109–117. 2005.
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