Impact of Antiretroviral Therapy and Changes in Virus Load on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)–Specific T Cell Responses in Primary HIV Infection

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell responses were evaluated prospectively in a large cohort of subjects with HIV primary infection via long-term follow-up examining different virological profiles related to different treatment interventions. No correlation was observed between baseline virus load and HIV-specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell responses. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)–induced suppression of viremia was associated with an increase in CD4⁺ T cell proliferative responses. The HIV-specific proliferative response also increased, at least in the first 18 months, in subjects with detectable viremia, either treated or untreated. The magnitude of the HIV-specific CD8⁺ T cell response decreased with suppression of viremia. In subjects with detectable viremia, the breadth and magnitude of the HIV-specific CD8⁺ T cell responses increased progressively. Finally, whether HAART was initiated before or after seroconversion had little effect on HIV-specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell responses