Cunningham P, Hurren L, Carr A, Cooper DA; Australasian Society for HIV Medicine. Conference.
Annu Conf Australas Soc HIV Med. 1995 Nov 16-19; 7: 109 (abstract no. 148).
NSW State Reference Laboratory for HIV, Centre for Immunology, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney.
AIMS: to measure HIV-1 RNA titres using a commercially available single enzyme reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction technique during symptomatic primary HIV-1 infection. METHODS: a total of 70 whole blood specimens collected from 6 gay men following symptomatic primary HIV-1 infection where tested by a commercially available quantitative HIV-1 plasma RNA PCR assay (Roche Diagnostic Systems, NJ, USA). Sterile plasma specimens where processed and stored at -70 degrees celsius within six hours from venipuncture. There were a mean of 12 serial plasma samples per patient. Plasma RNA was extracted, amplified and detected according to manufacturer's recommendations. Comparative p24 antigen levels were performed using a polyclonal commercially available assay (Abbott Diagnostics, IL, USA). RESULTS: 5/6 patients exhibited levels between 10(6) and 10(7) copies of gag RNA/ml of plasma during the initial 1 degree infection viraemia. Corresponding p24 antigen levels of 500-1000 pg/ml were detected. A mean of 1 log reduction in gag RNA was measured every two weeks for all 6 patients. After six weeks, 90% of samples titred and remained stable at 10(5) copies/ml of HIV-1 gag RNA for up to thirty weeks following onset of symptomatic primary HIV-1 infection. p24 antigen levels were undetected by EIA in samples collected after a mean of 2 weeks (range 1-4). Plasma gag RNA levels could be determined in 100% of samples. CONCLUSION: Quantitative HIV-1 RT-PCR is a highly sensitive measure of viral load during 1 degree infection. The assay is simple to use and highly applicable to clinical trials. Although these results are largely observational they elude to further studies in molecular viral load.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- HIV Infections
- HIV-1
- Humans
- Male
- Plasma
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- RNA
- RNA, Viral
- RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Viral Load
- Viremia
- reverse transcriptase, Human immunodeficiency virus 1
Other ID:
UI: 102215396
From Meeting Abstracts