Detectable HIV-1 in semen in individuals with very low blood viral loads
dc.contributor.author | Kariuki, Samuel Mundia | en_ZA |
dc.contributor.author | Selhorst, Philippe | en_ZA |
dc.contributor.author | Norman, Jennifer | en_ZA |
dc.contributor.author | Cohen, Karen | en_ZA |
dc.contributor.author | Rebe, Kevin | en_ZA |
dc.contributor.author | Williamson, Carolyn | en_ZA |
dc.contributor.author | Dorfman, Jeffrey R | en_ZA |
dc.date.accessioned | 2020-03-09T06:22:44Z | |
dc.date.available | 2020-03-09T06:22:44Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2020-03-05 | |
dc.date.updated | 2020-03-08T04:22:00Z | |
dc.description | CITATION: Kariuki, S. M., et al. 2020. Detectable HIV-1 in semen in individuals with very low blood viral loads. Virology Journal, 17:29, doi:10.1186/s12985-020-01300-6. | |
dc.description | The original publication is available at https://virologyj.biomedcentral.com | |
dc.description.abstract | Background: Several reports indicate that a portion (5–10%) of men living with HIV-1 intermittently shed HIV-1 RNA into seminal plasma while on long term effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). This is highly suggestive of an HIV-1 reservoir in the male genital tract. However, the status of this reservoir in men living with HIV-1 who are not under treatment is underexplored and has implications for understanding the origins and evolution of the reservoir. Finding: Forty-three HIV-1 positive, antiretroviral therapy naïve study participants attending a men’s health clinic were studied. Semen viral loads and blood viral loads were generally correlated, with semen viral loads generally detected in individuals with blood viral loads > 10,000 cp/ml. However, we found 1 individual with undetectable viral loads (<20cp/ml) and 2 individuals with very low blood viral load (97 and 333cp/ml), but with detectable HIV-1 in semen (485–1157 copies/ semen sample). Blood viral loads in the first individual were undetectable when tested three times over the prior 5 years. Conclusions: Semen HIV-1 viral loads are usually related to blood viral loads, as we confirm. Nonetheless, this was not true in a substantial minority of individuals suggesting unexpectedly high levels of replication in the male genital tract in a few individuals, despite otherwise effective immune control. This may reflect establishment of a local reservoir of HIV-1 populations. | |
dc.description.uri | https://virologyj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12985-020-01300-6 | |
dc.description.version | Publisher's version | |
dc.format.extent | 5 pages | en_ZA |
dc.identifier.citation | Kariuki, S. M., et al. 2020. Detectable HIV-1 in semen in individuals with very low blood viral loads. Virology Journal, 17:29, doi:10.1186/s12985-020-01300-6 | |
dc.identifier.issn | 1743-422X (online) | |
dc.identifier.other | doi:10.1186/s12985-020-01300-6 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/107593 | |
dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
dc.publisher | BioMed Central | en_ZA |
dc.rights.holder | Authors retain copyright | en_ZA |
dc.subject | HIV positive people | en_ZA |
dc.subject | Semen | en_ZA |
dc.subject | AIDS (Diseases) | en_ZA |
dc.subject | Viral load | en_ZA |
dc.title | Detectable HIV-1 in semen in individuals with very low blood viral loads | en_ZA |
dc.type | Article | en_ZA |