| Publication Abstract Display | | Type: Published Manuscript | | Title: Cytomegalovirus replication in semen is associated with higher levels of proviral HIV DNA and CD4+ T cell activation during antiretroviral treatment. | | Authors: Gianella S, Massanella M, Richman DD, Little SJ, Spina CA, Vargas MV, Lada SM, Daar ES, Dube MP, Haubrich RH, Morris SR, Smith DM | | Year: 2014 | | Publication: Journal of Virology | | Volume: 88 Issue: 14 Pages: 7818-7827 | | Abstract:Asymptomatic cytomegalovirus (CMV) replication occurs frequently in the genital tract of untreated HIV-infected men and is associated with increased immune activation and HIV disease progression. To determine the connections between CMV-associated immune activation and the size of the viral reservoir, we evaluated the interactions between (i) asymptomatic seminal CMV replication, (ii) levels of T cell activation and proliferation in blood, and (iii) the size and the transcriptional activity of the HIV DNA reservoir in blood from 53 HIV-infected men on long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART) with suppressed HIV RNA in blood plasma. We found that asymptomatic CMV shedding in semen was associated with significantly higher levels of proliferating and activated CD4(+) T-cells in blood (P<0.01). Subjects with detectable CMV in semen had approximately five times higher average levels of HIV DNA in blood CD4+ T cells compared to subjects with no CMV. There was also a trend for CMV shedders to have increased cellular (multiply spliced) HIV RNA transcription (p=0.068) compared to participants without CMV, but it is unclear if this transcription pattern is associated with residual HIV replication. In multivariate analysis, the presence of seminal plasma CMV (P=0.04), detectable 2-LTR and lower nadir CD4+ (P<0.01) were independent predictors of higher levels of proviral HIV DNA. Interventions aimed at reducing seminal CMV and associated immune activation may be important for HIV curative strategies. Future studies of anti-CMV therapeutics will help to establish causality and determine the mechanisms underlying these described associations. |
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