Long-term follow-up studies confirm the stability of the latent reservoir for HIV-1 in resting CD4+ T cells

JD Siliciano, J Kajdas, D Finzi, TC Quinn… - Nature medicine, 2003 - nature.com
JD Siliciano, J Kajdas, D Finzi, TC Quinn, K Chadwick, JB Margolick, C Kovacs, SJ Gange
Nature medicine, 2003nature.com
Latent HIV-1 persists in resting memory CD4+ T cells, even in patients receiving highly
active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). It has been unclear how stable this latent reservoir is
and whether its persistence reflects replenishment by low-level viremia. Here we show that
even in treated patients who have had no detectable viremia for as long as 7 years, the
reservoir decays so slowly (t1/2= 44 months) that eradication is unlikely.
Abstract
Latent HIV-1 persists in resting memory CD4+ T cells, even in patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). It has been unclear how stable this latent reservoir is and whether its persistence reflects replenishment by low-level viremia. Here we show that even in treated patients who have had no detectable viremia for as long as 7 years, the reservoir decays so slowly (t1/2 = 44 months) that eradication is unlikely.
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