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Immunological and virological impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy initiated during acute HIV-1 infection.

Streeck H, Jessen H, Alter G, Teigen N, Waring MT, Jessen A, Stahmer I, van Lunzen J, Lichterfeld M, Gao X, Allen TM, Carrington M, Walker BD, Rockstroh JK, Altfeld M

Partners AIDS Research Center, Infectious Disease Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.

The immunological and virological impact of short-term treatment initiated during acute human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection was assessed prospectively in 20 subjects, 12 of whom initiated highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for 24 weeks and then terminated treatment. Treatment resulted in suppression of viremia, an increase in the CD4+ T cell count, enhanced differentiation of HIV-1-specific CD8(+) T cells from effector memory to effector cells at week 24 of HAART, and significantly higher virus-specific interferon- gamma+ CD8+ T cell responses after viral rebound (at week 48). However, despite these immunological changes, no differences in viremia or in the CD4+ T cell count were found 6 months after HAART was stopped, when treated subjects were compared with untreated subjects.

Published 30 August 2006 in J Infect Dis, 194(6): 734-9.
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