Long-term evaluation of triple nucleoside therapy administered from primary HIV-1 infection

Abstract

To study the long-term effect of triple-drug therapy initiated at the time of primary HIV-1 Infection and to evaluate the persistance of replication-competent virus in responding patients. Prospective open-label pilot study. Patients received a combination of zidovudine, didanosine and lamivudine. Viral sequencing of the reverse transcriptase gene was performed before therapy and during follow-up. HIV-1 RNA and DNA as well as CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte subsets were measured in blood and in lymph node biopsies during therapy. Isolated blood CD4 T cells were cultured in conditions that improved HIV isolation. Three patients received in vivo interleukin-2 and gamma-interferon in order to try to identify intracellular pools of replication-competent virus. A tertiary care general hospital. Fifteen patients observed within 28 days following the acute retroviral syndrome. After a mean follow-up of 27.5±2.9 months, plasma RNA remained Despite a lack of detectable plasma viral activity in some patients after 3 years of triple nucleoside therapy administered since the acute retroviral syndrome, replication-competent virus can still be demonstrated.