ART in Elite Controllers Decreases the HIV Reservoir

In four treatment-naive HIV-infected patients with low or undetectable viral loads, ART decreased the pool of replication-competent CD4 cells.

The small proportion of HIV-infected patients who — without antiretroviral therapy (ART) — have low or undetectable viral loads (controllers), and the subset of these individuals who also maintain normal-range CD4-cell counts (elite controllers), provide insight into the biology relevant to the “functional cure” of HIV infection.

In a small pilot study, three elite controllers and one controller were treated with ART (raltegravir + tenofovir/FTC) for 9 months. Blood draws and leukapheresis were conducted at baseline, 6 and 9 months after ART initiation, and 3 months after ART discontinuation; gut biopsies were performed at baseline, 6 months after ART initiation, and 3 months after ART discontinuation. Levels of replication-competent HIV fro…

Reviewing Author

Keith Henry, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardViiV Advisory Board

Editorial BoardsJAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes

Keith Henry, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardViiV Advisory Board

Editorial BoardsJAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes

ART in Elite Controllers Decreases the HIV Reservoir

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Reviewing Author