37 research outputs found
Progression to AIDS in South Africa Is Associated with both Reverting and Compensatory Viral Mutations
We lack the understanding of why HIV-infected individuals in South Africa
progress to AIDS. We hypothesised that in end-stage disease there is a shifting
dynamic between T cell imposed immunity and viral immune escape, which, through
both compensatory and reverting viral mutations, results in increased viral
fitness, elevated plasma viral loads and disease progression. We explored how T
cell responses, viral adaptation and viral fitness inter-relate in South African
cohorts recruited from Bloemfontein, the Free State
(nâ=â278) and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
(nâ=â775). Immune responses were measured by
Îł-interferon ELISPOT assays. HLA-associated viral polymorphisms were
determined using phylogenetically corrected techniques, and viral replication
capacity (VRC) was measured by comparing the growth rate of gag-protease
recombinant viruses against recombinant NL4-3 viruses. We report that in
advanced disease (CD4 counts <100 cells/”l), T cell responses narrow,
with a relative decline in Gag-directed responses (p<0.0001). This is
associated with preserved selection pressure at specific viral amino acids
(e.g., the T242N polymorphism within the HLA-B*57/5801 restricted TW10
epitope), but with reversion at other sites (e.g., the T186S polymorphism within
the HLA-B*8101 restricted TL9 epitope), most notably in Gag and suggestive
of âimmune relaxationâ. The median VRC from patients with CD4 counts
<100 cells/”l was higher than from patients with CD4 counts â„500
cells/”l (91.15% versus 85.19%,
pâ=â0.0004), potentially explaining the rise in viral load
associated with disease progression. Mutations at HIV Gag T186S and T242N
reduced VRC, however, in advanced disease only the T242N mutants demonstrated
increasing VRC, and were associated with compensatory mutations
(pâ=â0.013). These data provide novel insights into the
mechanisms of HIV disease progression in South Africa. Restoration of fitness
correlates with loss of viral control in late disease, with evidence for both
preserved and relaxed selection pressure across the HIV genome. Interventions
that maintain viral fitness costs could potentially slow progression
Minor Protease Inhibitor Mutations at Baseline Do Not Increase the Risk for a Virological Failure in HIV-1 Subtype B Infected Patients
BACKGROUND: Minor protease inhibitor (PI) mutations often exist as polymorphisms in HIV-1 sequences from treatment-naĂŻve patients. Previous studies showed that their presence impairs the antiretroviral treatment (ART) response. Evaluating these findings in a larger cohort is essential.
METHODS: To study the impact of minor PI mutations on time to viral suppression and time to virological failure, we included patients from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study infected with HIV-1 subtype B who started first-line ART with a PI and two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Cox regression models were performed to compare the outcomes among patients with 0 and â„ 1 minor PI mutation. Models were adjusted for baseline HIV-1 RNA, CD4 cell count, sex, transmission category, age, ethnicity, year of ART start, the presence of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor mutations, and stratified for the administered PIs.
RESULTS: We included 1199 patients of whom 944 (78.7%) received a boosted PI. Minor PI mutations associated with the administered PI were common: 41.7%, 16.1%, 4.7% and 1.9% had 1, 2, 3 or â„ 4 mutations, respectively. The time to viral suppression was similar between patients with 0 (reference) and â„ 1 minor PI mutation (multivariable hazard ratio (HR): 1.1 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0-1.3], P = .196). The time to virological failure was also similar (multivariable HR:.9 [95% CI:.5-1.6], P = .765). In addition, the impact of each single minor PI mutation was analyzed separately: none was significantly associated with the treatment outcome.
CONCLUSIONS: The presence of minor PI mutations at baseline has no effect on the therapy outcome in HIV infected individuals