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Kun Á, Hubai AG, Král A, Mokos J, Mikulecz BÁ, Radványi Á. Do pathogens always evolve to be less virulent? The virulence–transmission trade-off in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Biol Futur 2023:10.1007/s42977-023-00159-2. [PMID: 37002448 PMCID: PMC10066022 DOI: 10.1007/s42977-023-00159-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe direction the evolution of virulence takes in connection with any pathogen is a long-standing question. Formerly, it was theorized that pathogens should always evolve to be less virulent. As observations were not in line with this theoretical outcome, new theories emerged, chief among them the transmission–virulence trade-off hypotheses, which predicts an intermediate level of virulence as the endpoint of evolution. At the moment, we are very much interested in the future evolution of COVID-19’s virulence. Here, we show that the disease does not fulfill all the assumptions of the hypothesis. In the case of COVID-19, a higher viral load does not mean a higher risk of death; immunity is not long-lasting; other hosts can act as reservoirs for the virus; and death as a consequence of viral infection does not shorten the infectious period. Consequently, we cannot predict the short- or long-term evolution of the virulence of COVID-19.
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Hauser A, Heiden MAD, Meixenberger K, Han O, Fiedler S, Hanke K, Koppe U, Hofmann A, Bremer V, Bartmeyer B, Kuecherer C, Bannert N. Evaluation of a BioRad Avidity assay for identification of recent HIV-1 infections using dried serum or plasma spots. J Virol Methods 2019; 266:114-120. [PMID: 30738741 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2019.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Serological methods to differentiate between recently acquired and established HIV-1 infections are a useful tool in the HIV-surveillance to characterize the epidemic, identify groups at risk and assess HIV-preventive interventions. Therefore, an avidity-based, modified BioRad Genscreen™ HIV-1/2 assay (BRAEUR) was evaluated according to the avidity-based, modified BioRad HIV-1/2 Plus O protocol (BRAUSA). Overall, 692 well defined samples (82.5% B and 17.5% non-B subtypes) from recent (<180 days, n = 239), intermediate (181-364 days, n = 35) or long term infections (≥365 days, n = 419) were used to determine a 'mean duration of recent infection' (MDRI), a 'median DRI' (MdDRI), the false recent rate (FRR), and concordance between the BRAs and the Sedia BED HIV-1 Capture enzyme immunoassay (BED). The optimal avidity index cut-off was determined to be 70% resulting in an MDRI of 233 days (95% IQR: 174-351) and an MdDRI of 171 days (95% IQR: 142-212). Concordance with the BRAUSA was high with 96.4%. The FRR of 6.0% as well as the MdDRI are similar to the BED (8.4%; 170 (139-214) days). Therefore, the BRAEUR is a suitable alternative to replace the BED and trend analysis will be feasible after minimal adjustments for the MdDRI and the MDRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Hauser
- Division of HIV and Other Retroviruses, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany; Charité, Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Matthias An der Heiden
- Division of HIV/AIDS, STI and Blood-borne Infections, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Orjin Han
- Division of HIV and Other Retroviruses, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany; School of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, South Korea
| | - Stefan Fiedler
- Division of HIV and Other Retroviruses, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kirsten Hanke
- Division of HIV and Other Retroviruses, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Uwe Koppe
- Division of HIV/AIDS, STI and Blood-borne Infections, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexandra Hofmann
- Division of HIV/AIDS, STI and Blood-borne Infections, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany; Charité, Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Viviane Bremer
- Division of HIV/AIDS, STI and Blood-borne Infections, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Barbara Bartmeyer
- Division of HIV/AIDS, STI and Blood-borne Infections, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Claudia Kuecherer
- Division of HIV and Other Retroviruses, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Norbert Bannert
- Division of HIV and Other Retroviruses, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany; Charité, Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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Lin TY, Yang CJ, Liu CE, Tang HJ, Chen TC, Chen GJ, Hung TC, Lin KY, Cheng CY, Lee YC, Lin SP, Tsai MS, Lee YL, Cheng SH, Hung CC, Wang NC. Clinical features of acute human immunodeficiency virus infection in Taiwan: A multicenter study. JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY, IMMUNOLOGY, AND INFECTION = WEI MIAN YU GAN RAN ZA ZHI 2018; 52:700-709. [PMID: 29555411 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmii.2018.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Acute HIV infection is characterized by a high concentration of HIV RNA in the plasma and rapid depletion of the CD4 cell count. This multicenter, retrospective observational study aimed to characterize the manifestations of acuteHIV infection in Taiwan. METHODS Between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2016, all patients aged 20 years or greater who presented with acute HIV infection were included. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients at diagnosis were collected. Baseline laboratory assessment included hemogram, CD4 count, plasma HIV RNA load (PVL), serologic markers of syphilis and hepatitis A, B, and C viruses, and serum biochemistry. RESULTS The proportion of acute HIV infection was 6.9% among the patients with newly diagnosed HIV infection during the study period. The most common presenting symptoms of acute HIV infection were fever, fatigue, and myalgia. The median PVL at diagnosis was 5.9 log10 copies/ml, and median CD4 count was 307 cells/mm3. A total of 68 patients (27%) had baseline CD4 count less than 200 cells/mm3. Multiple logistic regression analysis, showed that the baseline CD4 count (OR, 4.02; p = 0.013) and aspartate aminotransaminase levels (OR, 3.49; p = 0.002) were associated with high PVL (>5 log10 copies/ml); and high baseline PVL (OR, 2.64; p = 0.002) was associated with symptomatic acute HIV infection. CONCLUSIONS Manifestations of acute HIV infection are nonspecific and of wide spectrum ranging from fever to severe illness. A higher proportion of patients with initial CD4 counts of 200 cells/mm3 or less during acute HIV infection warrants early, timely diagnosis and treatment to prevent rapid disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Te-Yu Lin
- Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chia-Jui Yang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC; School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chung-Eng Liu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Hung-Jen Tang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Tun-Chieh Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Guan-Jhou Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Tung-Che Hung
- Department of Internal Medicine, Taoyuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health Welfare, Taoyuan, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Kuan-Yin Lin
- Department of Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Jin-Shan Branch, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chien-Yu Cheng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Taoyuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health Welfare, Taoyuan, Taiwan, ROC; School of Public Health, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yi-Chien Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chia-Yi, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic Fu-Jen Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Shih-Ping Lin
- Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Mao-Song Tsai
- Department of Internal Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic Fu-Jen Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yu-Lin Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Shu-Hsing Cheng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Taoyuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health Welfare, Taoyuan, Taiwan, ROC; School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chien-Ching Hung
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Parasitology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Ning-Chi Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
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Roberts HE, Goulder PJR, McLean AR. The impact of antiretroviral therapy on population-level virulence evolution of HIV-1. J R Soc Interface 2016; 12:20150888. [PMID: 26609066 PMCID: PMC4707861 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2015.0888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
In HIV-infected patients, an individual's set point viral load (SPVL) strongly predicts disease progression. Some think that SPVL is evolving, indicating that the virulence of the virus may be changing, but the data are not consistent. In addition, the widespread use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has the potential to drive virulence evolution. We develop a simple deterministic model designed to answer the following questions: what are the expected patterns of virulence change in the initial decades of an epidemic? Could administration of ART drive changes in virulence evolution and, what is the potential size and direction of this effect? We find that even without ART we would not expect monotonic changes in average virulence. Transient decreases in virulence following the peak of an epidemic are not necessarily indicative of eventual evolution to avirulence. In the short term, we would expect widespread ART to cause limited downward pressure on virulence. In the long term, the direction of the effect is determined by a threshold condition, which we define. We conclude that, given the surpassing benefits of ART to the individual and in reducing onward transmission, virulence evolution considerations need have little bearing on how we treat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E Roberts
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, The Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Philip J R Goulder
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK HIV Pathogenesis Programme, The Doris Duke Medical Research Institute, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Angela R McLean
- The Institute for Emerging Infections, The Oxford Martin School, Oxford OX1 3BD, UK Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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Accelerated CD4+ cell count decline in untreated HIV-1 patients points toward increasing virulence over the course of the epidemic. AIDS 2016; 30:1995-7. [PMID: 27191976 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000001165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Based on the assumption that the rate of CD4 cell count loss in treatment-naïve patients is correlated with the virulence of HIV-1, we evaluated 4616 patients. Patients who entered a German national database between 1985 and 1995 had a median annual CD4 cell count loss of 48 cells/μl, whereas those registered between 1999 and 2009 had a median annual CD4 cell count loss of 68 cells/μl (P < 0.001). This suggests that HIV-1 virulence has increased over the course of the epidemic.
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Herbeck J, Celum C. The changing virulence of HIV. Lancet HIV 2015; 1:e99-e100. [PMID: 26424124 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-3018(14)00004-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Herbeck
- International Clinical Research Center, Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104 USA.
| | - Connie Celum
- International Clinical Research Center, Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104 USA
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Watanabe D, Suzuki S, Ashida M, Shimoji Y, Hirota K, Ogawa Y, Yajima K, Kasai D, Nishida Y, Uehira T, Shirasaka T. Disease progression of HIV-1 infection in symptomatic and asymptomatic seroconverters in Osaka, Japan: a retrospective observational study. AIDS Res Ther 2015; 12:19. [PMID: 26000028 PMCID: PMC4440509 DOI: 10.1186/s12981-015-0059-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2014] [Accepted: 04/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Estimates of the interval from HIV-1 infection to disease progression may be affected by selection bias, and data concerning asymptomatic early seroconverters are limited. We examined the interval until disease progression in HIV-1 seroconverters in whom the timing of infection could be estimated within 1 year before diagnosis. Methods Subjects included newly diagnosed patients at Osaka National Hospital between 2003 and 2010 who had either (1) symptomatic acute HIV-1 infection with a negative or intermediate reaction on Western blotting and a positive reaction on an HIV RNA test (symptomatic acute group) or (2) a positive reaction on Western blotting at diagnosis and a <1-year interval from the last negative HIV test until the first positive test. The latter was divided into symptomatic recent or asymptomatic recent groups based on the presence or absence, respectively, of any transient fever between the last negative and first positive tests. Disease progression was defined as a fall in the CD4 count to <350 cells/microL on 2 consecutive tests, the start of anti-HIV therapy, or the onset of AIDS-indicator diseases. Information was retrospectively collected from medical records. Results Subjects included 210 patients: 91 in the symptomatic acute group, 72 in the symptomatic recent group, and 47 in the asymptomatic recent group. In the symptomatic acute (0.8 years) and symptomatic recent (2.2 years) groups, the Kaplan-Meier estimate of median interval until disease progression was significantly shorter than that in the asymptomatic recent group (2.9 years). Multivariate analysis by Cox’s proportional hazards test showed that the symptomatic acute group (vs. asymptomatic recent group: hazard ratio: 1.93; 95% confidence interval: 1.14–3.36; p = 0.0140) and a baseline CD4 count of <400 cells/microL (hazard ratio: 3.88; 95% confidence interval: 2.57–5.96; p < 0.0001) were independent prognostic factors associated with early disease progression. Conclusions Symptomatic seroconversion was associated with early disease progression. Furthermore, the estimated median interval until the CD4 count was <350 cells/microL was only 2.9 years even in patients with asymptomatic seroconversion. These results suggest the importance of early diagnosis in early seroconverters.
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Hodcroft E, Hadfield JD, Fearnhill E, Phillips A, Dunn D, O'Shea S, Pillay D, Leigh Brown AJ. The contribution of viral genotype to plasma viral set-point in HIV infection. PLoS Pathog 2014; 10:e1004112. [PMID: 24789308 PMCID: PMC4006911 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2013] [Accepted: 03/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Disease progression in HIV-infected individuals varies greatly, and while the environmental and host factors influencing this variation have been widely investigated, the viral contribution to variation in set-point viral load, a predictor of disease progression, is less clear. Previous studies, using transmission-pairs and analysis of phylogenetic signal in small numbers of individuals, have produced a wide range of viral genetic effect estimates. Here we present a novel application of a population-scale method based in quantitative genetics to estimate the viral genetic effect on set-point viral load in the UK subtype B HIV-1 epidemic, based on a very large data set. Analyzing the initial viral load and associated pol sequence, both taken before anti-retroviral therapy, of 8,483 patients, we estimate the proportion of variance in viral load explained by viral genetic effects to be 5.7% (CI 2.8-8.6%). We also estimated the change in viral load over time due to selection on the virus and environmental effects to be a decline of 0.05 log10 copies/mL/year, in contrast to recent studies which suggested a reported small increase in viral load over the last 20 years might be due to evolutionary changes in the virus. Our results suggest that in the UK epidemic, subtype B has a small but significant viral genetic effect on viral load. By allowing the analysis of large sample sizes, we expect our approach to be applicable to the estimation of the genetic contribution to traits in many organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Hodcroft
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Jarrod D. Hadfield
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | | | - Andrew Phillips
- Infection and Population Health, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Dunn
- MRC Clinical Trials Unit Aviation House, London, United Kingdom
| | - Siobhan O'Shea
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Deenan Pillay
- Research Department of Infection, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J. Leigh Brown
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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CRF01_AE subtype is associated with X4 tropism and fast HIV progression in Chinese patients infected through sexual transmission. AIDS 2014; 28:521-30. [PMID: 24472744 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000000125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The molecular epidemiology of the HIV-1 CRF01_AE subtype as a risk factor for fast HIV-1 progression remains poorly understood. METHODS We analyzed HIV-1 tropism by utilizing samples from 201 treatment-naive patients in our multicenter cohort (12 research centers in different provinces of China). Tropism was determined by V3 loop sequencing. Data from 235 treatment-naive patients infected sexually (including aforementioned 201 patients) in this cohort with date of estimated seroconversion (EDS) were retrospectively evaluated. Median time from EDS to AIDS was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curves. Hazard ratios were determined by Cox proportional model. RESULTS CRF01_AE subtype was predominant (46.0%), especially in the MSM group. Further analysis revealed that the proportion of X4 tropism was higher in the CRF01_AE subtype (45.5%) than in others (C/CRF07_BC/CRF08_BC, 4.3%; B, 6.1%; P <0.001). CRF01_AE subtype was associated with faster progression from EDS to AIDS (4.8 vs. 6.4 years, P = 0.018) compared with non-CRF01_AE subtypes. In a multivariate model, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of CRF01_AE was 1.42 (95% confidence interval, CI 0.99-2.03, P = 0.057), independent of HIV-1 viral load; it was also associated with fast progression to advanced immunodeficiency (aHR, 1.81, 95% CI 1.03-3.18, P = 0.038). CONCLUSION CRF01_AE, a predominant HIV-1 subtype in Chinese HIV-1 sexually infected patients, tends to be associated with fast progression to AIDS and advanced immunodeficiency, which might be ascribed to high proportion of X4 tropism. Further investigation of these risk factors may have significant implications to clinical practice and policy-making.
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Capel E, Parera M, Clotet B, Martínez MA. Significant changes in integrase-associated HIV-1 replication capacity between early and late isolates. Virology 2013; 444:274-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2013.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2013] [Revised: 06/18/2013] [Accepted: 06/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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van der Kuyl AC, Bakker M, Jurriaans S, Back NKT, Pasternak AO, Cornelissen M, Berkhout B. Translational HIV-1 research: from routine diagnostics to new virology insights in Amsterdam, the Netherlands during 1983-2013. Retrovirology 2013; 10:93. [PMID: 23985078 PMCID: PMC3765835 DOI: 10.1186/1742-4690-10-93] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2013] [Accepted: 08/21/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
An HIV-1 diagnostic laboratory was established in the Academic Medical Center (AMC) of the University of Amsterdam after the discovery of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the cause of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The first AIDS patients were diagnosed here in 1981 and since 1983 we have tested the samples of 50992 patients using a variety of assays that greatly improved over the years. We will describe some of the basic results from this diagnostic laboratory and then focus on the spin-off in terms of the development of novel virus assays to detect super-infections and ultra-sensitive assays to measure the intracellular HIV-1 RNA load. We also review several original research findings in the field of HIV-1 virology that stem from initial observations made in the diagnostic unit. This includes the study of genetic defects in the HIV-1 genome and time trends of the replication fitness over 30 years of viral evolution, but also the description of novel HIV-1 variants in difficult-to-diagnose clinical specimen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoinette C van der Kuyl
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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12
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Gras L, Geskus RB, Jurriaans S, Bakker M, van Sighem A, Bezemer D, Fraser C, Prins JM, Berkhout B, de Wolf F. Has the rate of CD4 cell count decline before initiation of antiretroviral therapy changed over the course of the Dutch HIV epidemic among MSM? PLoS One 2013; 8:e64437. [PMID: 23724048 PMCID: PMC3664616 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 04/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Studies suggest that the HIV-1 epidemic in the Netherlands may have become more virulent, leading to faster disease progression if untreated. Analysis of CD4 cell count decline before antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation, a surrogate marker for disease progression, may be hampered by informative censoring as ART initiation is more likely with a steeper CD4 cell count decline. Methods Development of CD4 cell count from 9 to 48 months after seroconversion was analyzed using a mixed-effects model and 2 models that jointly modeled CD4 cell counts and time to censoring event (start ART, <100 CD4 cells/mm3, or AIDS) among therapy-naïve MSM HIV-1 seroconverters in the Netherlands. These models make different assumptions about the censoring process. Results All 3 models estimated lower median CD4 cell counts 9 months after seroconversion in later calendar years (623, 582, and 541 cells/mm3 for 1984–1995 [n = 111], 1996–2002 [n = 139], and 2003–2007 seroconverters [n = 356], respectively, shared-parameter model). Only the 2 joint-models found a trend for a steeper decline of CD4 cell counts with seroconversion in later calendar years (overall p-values 0.002 and 0.06 for the pattern-mixture and the shared-parameter model, respectively). In the shared-parameter model the median decline from 9 to 48 months was 276 cellsmm3 for 1984–1995 seroconverters and 308 cells/mm3 for 2003–2007 seroconverters (difference in slope, p = 0.045). Conclusion Mixed-effects models underestimate the CD4 cell decline prior to starting ART. Joint-models suggest that CD4 cell count declines more rapidly in patients infected between 2003 and 2007 compared to patients infected before 1996.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luuk Gras
- Stichting HIV Monitoring, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Lemańska M, Jankowska M. Ostra/wczesna choroba retrowirusowa. HIV & AIDS REVIEW 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/s1730-1270(13)70005-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
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Significant reductions in Gag-protease-mediated HIV-1 replication capacity during the course of the epidemic in Japan. J Virol 2012; 87:1465-76. [PMID: 23152532 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02122-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) evolves rapidly in response to host immune selection pressures. As a result, the functional properties of HIV-1 isolates from earlier in the epidemic may differ from those of isolates from later stages. However, few studies have investigated alterations in viral replication capacity (RC) over the epidemic. In the present study, we compare Gag-Protease-associated RC between early and late isolates in Japan (1994 to 2009). HIV-1 subtype B sequences from 156 antiretroviral-naïve Japanese with chronic asymptomatic infection were used to construct a chimeric NL4-3 strain encoding plasma-derived gag-protease. Viral replication capacity was examined by infecting a long terminal repeat-driven green fluorescent protein-reporter T cell line. We observed a reduction in the RC of chimeric NL4-3 over the epidemic, which remained significant after adjusting for the CD4(+) T cell count and plasma virus load. The same outcome was seen when limiting the analysis to a single large cluster of related sequences, indicating that our results are not due to shifts in the molecular epidemiology of the epidemic in Japan. Moreover, the change in RC was independent of genetic distance between patient-derived sequences and wild-type NL4-3, thus ruling out potential temporal bias due to genetic similarity between patient and historic viral backbone sequences. Collectively, these data indicate that Gag-Protease-associated HIV-1 replication capacity has decreased over the epidemic in Japan. Larger studies from multiple geographical regions will be required to confirm this phenomenon.
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15
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Interplay between HIV-1 and Host Genetic Variation: A Snapshot into Its Impact on AIDS and Therapy Response. Adv Virol 2012; 2012:508967. [PMID: 22666249 PMCID: PMC3361994 DOI: 10.1155/2012/508967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2011] [Revised: 02/26/2012] [Accepted: 03/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
As of February 2012, 50 circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) have been reported for HIV-1 while one CRF for HIV-2. Also according to HIV sequence compendium 2011, the HIV sequence database is replete with 414,398 sequences. The fact that there are CRFs, which are an amalgamation of sequences derived from six or more subtypes (CRF27_cpx (cpx refers to complex) is a mosaic with sequences from 6 different subtypes besides an unclassified fragment), serves as a testimony to the continual divergent evolution of the virus with its approximate 1% per year rate of evolution, and this phenomena per se poses tremendous challenge for vaccine development against HIV/AIDS, a devastating disease that has killed 1.8 million patients in 2010. Here, we explore the interaction between HIV-1 and host genetic variation in the context of HIV/AIDS and antiretroviral therapy response.
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Akahoshi T, Chikata T, Tamura Y, Gatanaga H, Oka S, Takiguchi M. Selection and accumulation of an HIV-1 escape mutant by three types of HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes recognizing wild-type and/or escape mutant epitopes. J Virol 2012; 86:1971-81. [PMID: 22156528 PMCID: PMC3302409 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.06470-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2011] [Accepted: 11/23/2011] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
It is known that cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) recognizing HIV-1 escape mutants are elicited in HIV-1-infected individuals, but their role in the control of HIV-1 replication remains unclear. We investigated the antiviral ability of CTLs recognizing the HLA-A*24:02-restricted Gag28 -36 (KYKLKHIVW) epitope and/or its escape mutant (KYRLKHIVW) elicited in the early and chronic phases of the infection. Wild-type (WT)-epitope-specific CTLs, as well as cross-reactive CTLs recognizing both WT and K30R (3R) epitopes, which were predominantly elicited at early and/or chronic phases in HLA-A*24:02(+) individuals infected with the WT virus, suppressed the replication of the WT virus but failed to suppress that of the 3R virus, indicating that the 3R virus was selected by these 2 types of CTLs. On the other hand, cross-reactive and 3R-specific CTLs, which were elicited in those infected with the 3R virus, did not suppress the replication of either WT or 3R virus, indicating that these CTLs did not contribute to the control of 3R virus replication. High accumulation of the 3R mutation was found in a Japanese population recently recruited. The selection and accumulation of this 3R mutation resulted from the antiviral ability of these Gag28-specific CTLs and high prevalence of HLA-A*24:02 in a Japanese population. The present study highlighted the mechanisms for the roles of cross-reactive and mutant-epitope-specific CTLs, as well as high accumulation of escape mutants, in an HIV-1-infected population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yoshiko Tamura
- Center for AIDS Research, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Gatanaga
- Center for AIDS Research, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
- AIDS Clinical Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinichi Oka
- Center for AIDS Research, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
- AIDS Clinical Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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Is the virulence of HIV changing? A meta-analysis of trends in prognostic markers of HIV disease progression and transmission. AIDS 2012; 26:193-205. [PMID: 22089381 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0b013e32834db418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The potential for changing HIV-1 virulence has significant implications for the AIDS epidemic, including changing HIV transmission rates, rapidity of disease progression, and timing of ART. Published data to date have provided conflicting results. DESIGN We conducted a meta-analysis of changes in baseline CD4(+) T-cell counts and set point plasma viral RNA load over time in order to establish whether summary trends are consistent with changing HIV-1 virulence. METHODS We searched PubMed for studies of trends in HIV-1 prognostic markers of disease progression and supplemented findings with publications referenced in epidemiological or virulence studies. We identified 12 studies of trends in baseline CD4(+) T-cell counts (21, 052 total individuals), and eight studies of trends in set point viral loads (10 ,785 total individuals), spanning the years 1984-2010. Using random-effects meta-analysis, we estimated summary effect sizes for trends in HIV-1 plasma viral loads and CD4(+) T-cell counts. RESULTS Baseline CD4(+) T-cell counts showed a summary trend of decreasing cell counts [effect = -4.93 cells/μl per year, 95% confidence interval (CI) -6.53 to -3.3]. Set point viral loads showed a summary trend of increasing plasma viral RNA loads (effect = 0.013 log(10) copies/ml per year, 95% CI -0.001 to 0.03). The trend rates decelerated in recent years for both prognostic markers. CONCLUSION Our results are consistent with increased virulence of HIV-1 over the course of the epidemic. Extrapolating over the 30 years since the first description of AIDS, this represents a CD4(+) T cells loss of approximately 148 cells/μl and a gain of 0.39 log(10) copies/ml of viral RNA measured during early infection. These effect sizes would predict increasing rates of disease progression, and need for ART as well as increasing transmission risk.
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18
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Hogan CM, Degruttola V, Sun X, Fiscus SA, Del Rio C, Hare CB, Markowitz M, Connick E, Macatangay B, Tashima KT, Kallungal B, Camp R, Morton T, Daar ES, Little S. The setpoint study (ACTG A5217): effect of immediate versus deferred antiretroviral therapy on virologic set point in recently HIV-1-infected individuals. J Infect Dis 2012; 205:87-96. [PMID: 22180621 PMCID: PMC3242744 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jir699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2011] [Accepted: 08/04/2011] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The benefits of antiretroviral therapy during early human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection remain unproved. METHODS A5217 study team randomized patients within 6 months of HIV-1 seroconversion to receive either 36 weeks of antiretrovirals (immediate treatment [IT]) or no treatment (deferred treatment [DT]). Patients were to start or restart antiretroviral therapy if they met predefined criteria. The primary end point was a composite of requiring treatment or retreatment and the log(10) HIV-1 RNA level at week 72 (both groups) and 36 (DT group). RESULTS At the June 2009 Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) review, 130 of 150 targeted participants had enrolled. Efficacy analysis included 79 individuals randomized ≥72 weeks previously. For the primary end point, the IT group at week 72 had a better outcome than the DT group at week 72 (P = .005) and the DT group at week 36 (P = .002). The differences were primarily due to the higher rate of progression to needing treatment in the DT group (50%) versus the IT (10%) group. The DSMB recommended stopping the study because further follow-up was unlikely to change these findings. CONCLUSIONS Progression to meeting criteria for antiretroviral initiation in the DT group occurred more frequently than anticipated, limiting the ability to evaluate virologic set point. Antiretrovirals during early HIV-1 infection modestly delayed the need for subsequent treatment. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NCT00090779.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Hogan
- Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA.
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19
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Transmission selects for HIV-1 strains of intermediate virulence: a modelling approach. PLoS Comput Biol 2011; 7:e1002185. [PMID: 22022243 PMCID: PMC3192807 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2011] [Accepted: 07/20/2011] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent data shows that HIV-1 is characterised by variation in viral virulence factors that is heritable between infections, which suggests that viral virulence can be naturally selected at the population level. A trade-off between transmissibility and duration of infection appears to favour viruses of intermediate virulence. We developed a mathematical model to simulate the dynamics of putative viral genotypes that differ in their virulence. As a proxy for virulence, we use set-point viral load (SPVL), which is the steady density of viral particles in blood during asymptomatic infection. Mutation, the dependency of survival and transmissibility on SPVL, and host effects were incorporated into the model. The model was fitted to data to estimate unknown parameters, and was found to fit existing data well. The maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters produced a model in which SPVL converged from any initial conditions to observed values within 100–150 years of first emergence of HIV-1. We estimated the 1) host effect and 2) the extent to which the viral virulence genotype mutates from one infection to the next, and found a trade-off between these two parameters in explaining the variation in SPVL. The model confirms that evolution of virulence towards intermediate levels is sufficiently rapid for it to have happened in the early stages of the HIV epidemic, and confirms that existing viral loads are nearly optimal given the assumed constraints on evolution. The model provides a useful framework under which to examine the future evolution of HIV-1 virulence. Recent studies have suggested that virulence in HIV-1 is partly a characteristic of the virus which is carried from one infection to the next. An infection with intermediate virulence will produce more transmissions during the infectious lifetime because it optimises the trade-off between rate of transmission and duration of infection. Natural selection acts on the heritable variation to increase the relative prevalence of strains with intermediate virulence. In this study we model the evolution of virulence in the viral population as these more successful strains are preferentially transmitted. We fit this model to data from transmitting couples, and find that the model fits the data well. We use this fit to estimate the contribution of the host and the virus to virulence, which complements recent estimates of the heritability of virulence. We also estimate the rate at which the viral determinants of virulence evolve between infections, and this provides predictions for how rapidly the virulence of HIV-1 evolves in a population. We suggest that natural selection on transmissibility results in substantial evolution of virulence in the population. This is sufficiently rapid for virulence to have reached current levels over the available timescale of the human epidemic.
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20
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Socías ME, Sued O, Laufer N, Lázaro ME, Mingrone H, Pryluka D, Remondegui C, Figueroa MI, Cesar C, Gun A, Turk G, Bouzas MB, Kavasery R, Krolewiecki A, Pérez H, Salomón H, Cahn P. Acute retroviral syndrome and high baseline viral load are predictors of rapid HIV progression among untreated Argentinean seroconverters. J Int AIDS Soc 2011; 14:40. [PMID: 21831310 PMCID: PMC3179691 DOI: 10.1186/1758-2652-14-40] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2011] [Accepted: 08/10/2011] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Diagnosis of primary HIV infection (PHI) has important clinical and public health implications. HAART initiation at this stage remains controversial. Methods Our objective was to identify predictors of disease progression among Argentinean seroconverters during the first year of infection, within a multicentre registry of PHI-patients diagnosed between 1997 and 2008. Cox regression was used to analyze predictors of progression (LT-CD4 < 350 cells/mm3, B, C events or death) at 12 months among untreated patients. Results Among 134 subjects, 74% presented with acute retroviral syndrome (ARS). Seven opportunistic infections (one death), nine B events, and 10 non-AIDS defining serious events were observed. Among the 92 untreated patients, 24 (26%) progressed at 12 months versus three (7%) in the treated group (p = 0.01). The 12-month progression rate among untreated patients with ARS was 34% (95% CI 22.5-46.3) versus 13% (95% CI 1.1-24.7) in asymptomatic patients (p = 0.04). In univariate analysis, ARS, baseline LT-CD4 < 350 cells/mm3, and baseline and six-month viral load (VL) > 100,000 copies/mL were associated with progression. In multivariate analysis, only ARS and baseline VL > 100,000 copies/mL remained independently associated; HR: 8.44 (95% CI 0.97-73.42) and 9.44 (95% CI 1.38-64.68), respectively. Conclusions In Argentina, PHI is associated with significant morbidity. HAART should be considered in PHI patients with ARS and high baseline VL to prevent disease progression.
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21
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Change of positive selection pressure on HIV-1 envelope gene inferred by early and recent samples. PLoS One 2011; 6:e18630. [PMID: 21526184 PMCID: PMC3079721 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2010] [Accepted: 03/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 infection has been on the rise in Japan recently, and the main transmission route has changed from blood transmission in the 1980s to homo- and/or hetero-sexual transmission in the 2000s. The lack of early viral samples with clinical information made it difficult to investigate the possible virological changes over time. In this study, we sequenced 142 full-length env genes collected from 16 Japanese subjects infected with HIV-1 in the 1980s and in the 2000s. We examined the diversity change in sequences and potential adaptive evolution of the virus to the host population. We used a codon-based likelihood method under the branch-site and clade models to detect positive selection operating on the virus. The clade model was extended to account for different positive selection pressures in different viral populations. The result showed that the selection pressure was weaker in the 2000s than in the 1980s, indicating that it might have become easier for the HIV to infect a new host and to develop into AIDS now than 20 years ago and that the HIV may be becoming more virulent in the Japanese population. The study provides useful information on the surveillance of HIV infection and highlights the utility of the extended clade models in analysis of virus populations which may be under different selection pressures.
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22
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Müller V, Fraser C, Herbeck JT. A strong case for viral genetic factors in HIV virulence. Viruses 2011; 3:204-216. [PMID: 21994727 PMCID: PMC3185695 DOI: 10.3390/v3030204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2011] [Revised: 02/28/2011] [Accepted: 02/28/2011] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV infections show great variation in the rate of progression to disease, and the role of viral genetic factors in this variation had remained poorly characterized until recently. Now a series of four studies [1-4] published within a year has filled this important gap and has demonstrated a robust effect of the viral genotype on HIV virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor Müller
- Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. s. 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Christophe Fraser
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Joshua T. Herbeck
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; E-Mail:
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Friedman SR, Rossi D. Dialectical theory and the study of HIV/AIDS and other epidemics. DIALECTICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2011; 35:403-427. [PMID: 23894218 DOI: 10.1007/s10624-011-9222-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Epidemics have been important in human history. This article discusses epidemics as part of a metabolic dialectics of humanity within nature. The creative thoughts and actions of those people most threatened by HIV/AIDS, and the thoughts and actions of science, have shaped both each other and the virus. The virus has reacted through mutation in ways that mimic strategic intelligence. The dialectics of capital and states has shaped these interactions and, in some cases, been shaped by them. Practical action to minimize the harms epidemics do can be strengthened by understanding of these epidemics, and Marxist theory and practices can be strengthened by understanding the dialectics of public health and the struggles around it more fully.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel R Friedman
- National Development and Research Institutes, Inc, New York, NY, USA,
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24
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Nakamura H, Teruya K, Takano M, Tsukada K, Tanuma J, Yazaki H, Honda H, Honda M, Gatanaga H, Kikuchi Y, Oka S. Clinical symptoms and courses of primary HIV-1 infection in recent years in Japan. Intern Med 2011; 50:95-101. [PMID: 21245631 DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.50.4137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The natural course of HIV-1 infection includes 10 years of an asymptomatic period before the development of AIDS. However, in Japan, the disease progression process seems faster in recent years. METHODS The study subjects were 108 new patients with primary HIV-1 infection during the period from 1997 through 2007. We evaluated their clinical symptoms and laboratory data, and then analyzed disease progression in 82 eligible patients. Disease progression was defined as a fall in CD4 count below 350/µL and/or initiation of antiretroviral therapy. RESULTS Ninety percent of the patients were infected via homosexual intercourse. All patients had at least one clinical symptom (mean; 4.75±1.99) related to primary HIV-1 infection, with a mean duration of 23.2 days (±14.8) and 53.3% of them had to be hospitalized due to severe symptoms. The mean CD4 count and viral load at first visit were 390/µL (±220.1) and 4.81 log10/mL (±0.78), respectively. None developed AIDS during the study period. Estimates of risk of disease progression were 61.0% at 48 weeks and 82.2% at 144 weeks. In patients who required antiretroviral therapy, the median CD4 count was 215/µL (range, 52-858) at initiation of such therapy. Among the patients with a CD4 count of <350/µL at first visit, 53% never showed recovery of CD4 count (>350/µL) without antiretroviral therapy. CONCLUSION Despite possible bias in patient population, disease progression seemed faster in symptomatic Japanese patients with recently acquired primary HIV-1 infection than the previously defined natural course of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideta Nakamura
- AIDS Clinical Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Japan
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25
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Carnegie NB. Bootstrap confidence intervals and bias correction in the estimation of HIV incidence from surveillance data with testing for recent infection. Stat Med 2010; 30:854-65. [PMID: 21432879 DOI: 10.1002/sim.4134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2009] [Accepted: 10/04/2010] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The incidence of new infections is a key measure of the status of the HIV epidemic, but accurate measurement of incidence is often constrained by limited data. Karon et al. (Statist. Med. 2008; 27:4617–4633) developed a model to estimate the incidence of HIV infection from surveillance data with biologic testing for recent infection for newly diagnosed cases. This method has been implemented by public health departments across the United States and is behind the new national incidence estimates, which are about 40 per cent higher than previous estimates. We show that the delta method approximation given for the variance of the estimator is incomplete, leading to an inflated variance estimate. This contributes to the generation of overly conservative confidence intervals, potentially obscuring important differences between populations. We demonstrate via simulation that an innovative model-based bootstrap method using the specified model for the infection and surveillance process improves confidence interval coverage and adjusts for the bias in the point estimate. Confidence interval coverage is about 94–97 per cent after correction, compared with 96–99 per cent before. The simulated bias in the estimate of incidence ranges from −6.3 to +14.6 per cent under the original model but is consistently under 1 per cent after correction by the model-based bootstrap. In an application to data from King County, Washington in 2007 we observe correction of 7.2 per cent relative bias in the incidence estimate and a 66 per cent reduction in the width of the 95 per cent confidence interval using this method. We provide open-source software to implement the method that can also be extended for alternate models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Bohme Carnegie
- Department of Humanities and the Social Sciences in the Professions, New York University, New York, USA.
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26
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CD4 Counts in Patients Diagnosed With HIV Through Routine HIV Screening in Two Urban Emergency Departments. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2010; 54:e15-6. [DOI: 10.1097/qai.0b013e3181eb6511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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27
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Crum-Cianflone N, Ren Q, Eberly LE, Ganesan A, Weintrob A, Marconi V, Barthel RV, Agan BK. Are HIV-positive persons progressing faster after diagnosis over the epidemic? J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2010; 54:e6-7. [PMID: 20611033 PMCID: PMC2901894 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0b013e3181e2d6c1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Crum-Cianflone
- Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
- Infectious Disease Clinic, Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, CA
| | - Qian Ren
- Division of Biostatistics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Lynn E. Eberly
- Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
- Division of Biostatistics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Anuradha Ganesan
- Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
- Infectious Disease Clinic, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD
| | - Amy Weintrob
- Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
- Infectious Disease Clinic, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC
| | - Vincent Marconi
- Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
- Infectious Disease Clinic, San Antonio Military Medical Center, San Antonio, TX
| | - R. Vincent Barthel
- Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
- Infectious Disease Clinic, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, VA
| | - Brian K. Agan
- Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
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Koga M, Kawana-Tachikawa A, Heckerman D, Odawara T, Nakamura H, Koibuchi T, Fujii T, Miura T, Iwamoto A. Changes in impact of HLA class I allele expression on HIV-1 plasma virus loads at a population level over time. Microbiol Immunol 2010; 54:196-205. [PMID: 20377748 DOI: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.2010.00206.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
HLA class I allele types have differential impacts on the level of the pVL and outcome of HIV-1 infection. While accumulations of CTL escape mutations at population levels have been reported, their actual impact on the level of the pVL remains unknown. In this study HLA class I types from 141 untreated, chronically HIV-1 infected Japanese patients diagnosed from 1995-2007 were determined, and the associations between expression of individual HLA alleles and level of pVL analyzed. It was found that the Japanese population has an extremely narrow HLA distribution compared to other ethnic groups, which may facilitate accumulation of CTL escape mutations at the population level. Moreover while they uniquely lack the most protective HLA-B27/B57, they commonly express the alleles that are protective in Caucasians (A11:10.4%, A26:11.55%, B51:8.6% and Cw14:12.7%). Cross-sectional analyses revealed no significant associations between expression of individual alleles and the level of the pVL. The patients were then stratified by the date of HIV diagnosis and the analyses repeated. It was found that, before 2001, B51+ individuals displayed significantly lower pVL than the other patients (median: 5150 vs. 18,000 RNA copies/ml, P=0.048); however thereafter this protective effect waned and disappeared, whereas no changes were observed for any other alleles over time. These results indicate that, at a population level, some HLA alleles have been losing their beneficial effects against HIV disease progression over time, thereby possibly posing a significant challenge for HIV vaccine development. However such detrimental effects may be limited to particular HLA class I alleles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiko Koga
- Division of Infectious Disease, Advanced Clinical Research Center, Department of Infectious Diseases and Applied Immunology, Research Hospital, and Department of Infectious Disease Control, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan
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29
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Viral load levels measured at set-point have risen over the last decade of the HIV epidemic in the Netherlands. PLoS One 2009; 4:e7365. [PMID: 19809510 PMCID: PMC2753776 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0007365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2009] [Accepted: 09/06/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background HIV-1 RNA plasma concentration at viral set-point is associated not only with disease outcome but also with the transmission dynamics of HIV-1. We investigated whether plasma HIV-1 RNA concentration and CD4 cell count at viral set-point have changed over time in the HIV epidemic in the Netherlands. Methodology/Principal Findings We selected 906 therapy-naïve patients with at least one plasma HIV-1 RNA concentration measured 9 to 27 months after estimated seroconversion. Changes in HIV-1 RNA and CD4 cell count at viral set-point over time were analysed using linear regression models. The ATHENA national observational cohort contributed all patients who seroconverted in or after 1996; the Amsterdam Cohort Studies (ACS) contributed seroconverters before 1996. The mean of the first HIV-1 RNA concentration measured 9–27 months after seroconversion was 4.30 log10 copies/ml (95% CI 4.17–4.42) for seroconverters from 1984 through 1995 (n = 163); 4.27 (4.16–4.37) for seroconverters 1996–2002 (n = 232), and 4.59 (4.52–4.66) for seroconverters 2003–2007 (n = 511). Compared to patients seroconverting between 2003–2007, the adjusted mean HIV-1 RNA concentration at set-point was 0.28 log10 copies/ml (95% CI 0.16–0.40; p<0.0001) and 0.26 (0.11–0.41; p = 0.0006) lower for those seroconverting between 1996–2002 and 1984–1995, respectively. Results were robust regardless of type of HIV-1 RNA assay, HIV-1 subtype, and interval between measurement and seroconversion. CD4 cell count at viral set-point declined over calendar time at approximately 5 cells/mm3/year. Conclusion The HIV-1 RNA plasma concentration at viral set-point has increased over the last decade of the HIV epidemic in the Netherlands. This is accompanied by a decreasing CD4 cell count over the period 1984–2007 and may have implications for both the course of the HIV infection and the epidemic.
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Increasing clinical virulence in two decades of the Italian HIV epidemic. PLoS Pathog 2009; 5:e1000454. [PMID: 19478880 PMCID: PMC2682199 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2008] [Accepted: 04/28/2009] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent origin and great evolutionary potential of HIV imply that the virulence of the virus might still be changing, which could greatly affect the future of the pandemic. However, previous studies of time trends of HIV virulence have yielded conflicting results. Here we used an established methodology to assess time trends in the severity (virulence) of untreated HIV infections in a large Italian cohort. We characterized clinical virulence by the decline slope of the CD4 count (n = 1423 patients) and the viral setpoint (n = 785 patients) in untreated patients with sufficient data points. We used linear regression models to detect correlations between the date of diagnosis (ranging 1984-2006) and the virulence markers, controlling for gender, exposure category, age, and CD4 count at entry. The decline slope of the CD4 count and the viral setpoint displayed highly significant correlation with the date of diagnosis pointing in the direction of increasing virulence. A detailed analysis of riskgroups revealed that the epidemics of intravenous drug users started with an apparently less virulent virus, but experienced the strongest trend towards steeper CD4 decline among the major exposure categories. While our study did not allow us to exclude the effect of potential time trends in host factors, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis of increasing HIV virulence. Importantly, the use of an established methodology allowed for a comparison with earlier results, which confirmed that genuine differences exist in the time trends of HIV virulence between different epidemics. We thus conclude that there is not a single global trend of HIV virulence, and results obtained in one epidemic cannot be extrapolated to others. Comparison of discordant patterns between riskgroups and epidemics hints at a converging trend, which might indicate that an optimal level of virulence might exist for the virus.
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31
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Clinical guidelines updated for opportunistic infections. AIDS Patient Care STDS 2009; 23:399. [PMID: 19413499 DOI: 10.1089/apc.2009.9926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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