Background: In the perspective of ART-free HIV remission, vertically infected children treated with suppressive ART from early infancy represent an optimal population model to better understand the genetic complexity of the reservoir.
Objectives: To evaluate the proportion of defective viral population and the genotypic resistance patterns in cell-associated HIV DNA.
Methods: In a cohort including 93 ART-treated vertically HIV-infected (VHIV) children in Mali with plasma HIV-1 RNA ≤50 copies/mL for at least 6 months, we studied total HIV DNA, percentage of defective genomes and resistance by reverse transcriptase and protease bulk sequencing from whole blood in dried blood spots.
Background: Absence of detectable viraemia after treatment cessation in some vertically HIV-infected (VHIV) children suggests that early initiation of HAART could lead to functional cure.
Objectives: We described the factors associated with HIV antibody levels and the viral reservoir size in HAART-treated VHIV children.
Methods: Study included 97 VHIV children with virological suppression, in Bamako, Mali.