Precise quantitation of the latent HIV-1 reservoir: implications for eradication strategies

AM Crooks, R Bateson, AB Cope… - The Journal of …, 2015 - academic.oup.com
AM Crooks, R Bateson, AB Cope, NP Dahl, MK Griggs, JAD Kuruc, CL Gay, JJ Eron
The Journal of infectious diseases, 2015academic.oup.com
The quantitative viral outgrowth assay (QVOA) provides a precise minimal estimate of the
reservoir of resting CD4+ T-cell infection (resting cell infection [RCI]). However, the variability
of RCI over time during antiretroviral therapy (ART), relevant to assess potential effects of
latency-reversing agents or other interventions, has not been fully described. We performed
QVOA on resting CD4+ T cells obtained via leukapheresis from 37 human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected patients receiving stable suppressive ART for a …
Abstract
The quantitative viral outgrowth assay (QVOA) provides a precise minimal estimate of the reservoir of resting CD4+ T-cell infection (resting cell infection [RCI]). However, the variability of RCI over time during antiretroviral therapy (ART), relevant to assess potential effects of latency-reversing agents or other interventions, has not been fully described. We performed QVOA on resting CD4+ T cells obtained via leukapheresis from 37 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected patients receiving stable suppressive ART for a period of 6 years. Patients who started ART during acute (n = 17) or chronic (n = 20) HIV infection were studied once HIV RNA levels were <50 copies/mL for ≥6 months. Using random effects analysis of 160 RCI measurements, we found that RCI declined significantly over time (P < .001), with an estimated mean half-life of 3.6 years (95% confidence interval, 2.3–8.1 years), remarkably consistent with findings of prior studies. There was no evidence of more rapid decay in acute versus chronic HIV infection (P = .99) for patients suppressed ≥6 months. RCI was reliably estimated with longitudinal measurements generally showing <2-fold variation from the previous measure. When QVOA is performed in this format, RCI decreases of >6-fold were rare. We suggest that a 6-fold decline is a relevant threshold to reliably identify effects of antilatency interventions on RCI.
Oxford University Press