Association of X4 tropism with disease progression in antiretroviral-treated children and adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in São Paulo, Brazil

Viral Tropism in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1-Infected Children and Adolescents in Thailand

BACKGROUND

Maraviroc, a C-C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) antagonist, has been used as an alternative antiretroviral drug in treatment-experienced adults and children infected by CCR5-tropic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) isolates. Prior to widespread use of this drug, rates of HIV-1 coreceptor tropism and factors associated with coreceptor tropism had to be determined.

METHODS

HIV-1-infected individuals aged <20 years with HIV-1 viral loads >1000 RNA copies/mL who were treatment-experienced or treatment-naive were enrolled. HIV-1 coreceptor tropism was determined using a genotypic test in which V3 sequences were analyzed with GENO2PHENO version 2.5 and a false discovery rate of 5%.

RESULTS

Fifty-two HIV-1-infected patients were recruited. The median age of participants was 14.9 years (interquartile range [IQR], 8.9-16.8 years). The median CD4 cell count was 396.0 cells/µL (IQR, 72.0-630.3 cells/µL). The median HIV-1 viral load was 43 339 RNA copies/mL (IQR, 8874-197 055 copies/mL). Thirty-nine patients (75%) were treatment-experienced. The most prevalent HIV-1 subtype in this population was CRF01_AE (36 patients, 69.2%). Based on analyses of V3 loop sequences, 5 of 13 treatment-naive patients (38.5%) and 11 of 39 treatment-experienced patients (28.2%) were infected by R5 viruses, while 7 of 13 treatment-naive patients (53.8%) and 19 of 39 treatment-experienced patients (48.7%) were infected by X4 viruses. The only factor associated with the presence of X4 viruses was HIV-1 subtype CRF01_AE.

CONCLUSIONS

X4-tropic viruses are associated with the CRF01_AE subtype. Hence, testing of HIV tropism should be performed before treatment with CCR5 inhibitors in children in areas where CRF01_AE predominates.

HIV Impacts CD34+ Progenitors Involved in T-Cell Differentiation During Coculture With Mouse Stromal OP9-DL1 Cells

HIV-1 causes the loss of CD4⁺ T cells via depletion or impairment of their production. The latter involves infection of thymocytes, but the involvement of hematopoietic CD34⁺ cells remains unclear even though HIV-positive patients frequently manifest myelosuppression. In order to have a closer look at the impact of HIV-1 on T-lineage differentiation, this study utilized the OP9-DL1 coculture system, which supports in vitro T-lineage differentiation of human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. In the newly developed in vitro OP9-DL1/HIV-1 model, cord-derived CD34⁺ cells were infected with CXCR4-tropic HIV-1_NL4−3 and cocultured. The HIV-infected cocultures exhibited reduced CD4⁺ T-cell growth at weeks 3–5 post infection compared to autologous uninfected cocultures. Further assays and analyses revealed that CD34⁺CD7⁺CXCR4⁺ cells can be quickly depleted as early as 1 week after infection of the subset, and this was accompanied by the emergence of rare CD34⁺CD7⁺CD4⁺ cells. A subsequent theoretical model analysis suggested potential influence of HIV-1 on the differentiation rate or death rate of lymphoid progenitor cells. These results indicate that CXCR4-tropic HIV-1 strains may impact the dynamics of CD34⁺CD7⁺ lymphoid progenitor cell pools, presumably leading to impaired T-cell production potential.

Young adults HIV-1 infected by vertical transmission in southern Brazil - Clinical, demographic, and virological features

Combination antiretroviral therapy promotes longer life expectancy, making it possible for perinatally HIV-infected patients to achieve adulthood. Past therapy was not always optimized, suggesting that virological and host features may also play a role in survival. The aim of this study is to describe characteristics of HIV disease progression associated with virological features in adolescents perinatally that were HIV infected. A case series was conducted including 81 patients that were in follow-up at Hospital de Clínicas/Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil. Venous blood was collected to conduct tropism and viral subtype assays. The median age was 19 years old (interquartile range 18-21), and a majority of patients were female (54.3%). Viral subtype was obtained for 66 (82%) patients, and subtypes B and C were found in 34% and 59%, respectively. Tropism assay was conducted in 55 (67%) patients: 71% were R5 and 29% X4. Distribution of viral tropism and subtype shows a significant association of subtype C with R5 tropism. Subtype C is more prevalent in southern Brazil and also in the population infected with HIV by vertical transmission. Both R5 tropism and subtype C are associated with slower progression to AIDS. The survival of these patients may be related to virological features present in a benign pattern of disease progression.

Phenotypic Coreceptor Tropism in Perinatally HIV-infected Youth Failing Antiretroviral Therapy

BACKGROUND

Perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV) children and youth are often heavily treatment-experienced, with resultant antiretroviral resistance and limited treatment options. For those with virologic failure (VF), new agents such as CCR5 (R5) antagonists may be useful; however, reports of R5 antagonist susceptibility in children have mostly relied on genotypic testing, which may not accurately reflect the phenotypic tropism of the viral populations. We characterized phenotypic coreceptor usage among PHIV children and youth with VF on antiretroviral treatment to identify predictors of CXCR4 (X4) tropism which preclude R5 antagonist use.

METHODS

Plasma samples with >1000 HIV RNA copies/mL were obtained from 73 PHIV antiretroviral treatment-treated children and youth (age 9-21 years) enrolled in the multicenter Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study. Samples were analyzed using the Trofile phenotypic assay. Multiple logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with detectable X4 tropism.

RESULTS

Tropism results were obtained for 59 (81%) of the 73 children and youth; 32 (54%) had X4-tropism. Persistent viremia (≥80% of HIV RNA measurements >400 copies/mL) was associated with detectable X4 tropism (adjusted odds ratio: 6.6, 95% confidence interval: 1.4, 31.4), while longer cumulative nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor use was associated with lower risk of X4 tropism (adjusted odds ratio: 0.6, 95% confidence interval: 0.5, 0.9).

CONCLUSIONS

Using a phenotypic assay, >50% of PHIV children and youth with VF had X4 tropism, similar to that in experienced adults, and higher than the 30% reported for children using genotypic assays. Persistent viremia and shorter nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor exposure are associated with X4-tropism in children and youth and may help target phenotypic testing to those most likely to benefit from R5 antagonist.