CD4-Cell Depletion in an HIV-1 Elite Controller

HIV-1 elite controllers have been the focus of intense research in the HIV field. These individuals have a unique ability to spontaneously control virus replication in the absence of antiretroviral drugs and are usually able to preserve high CD4-cell counts for prolonged periods of time.

In this report, researchers describe a man coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) who has not received antiretroviral therapy (ART) since 2000. During the past 10 years, most of his plasma viral load measurements have been below the limit of detection for standard ultrasensitive HIV RNA assays (<50 copies/mL), but his CD4 count has declined from >400 cells/mm³ to <200 cells/mm³.

Amplification of HIV from culture supernatant of CD4 lymphocytes reveale…