Impact of raltegravir on HIV-1 RNA and DNA forms following initiation of antiretroviral therapy in treatment-naive patients.

Objectives: The rapid early-phase decay of plasma HIV-1 RNA during integrase inhibitor-based therapy is not fully understood. The accumulation of biologically active episomal HIV-1 cDNAs, following aborted integration, could contribute to antiviral potency in vivo.

Methods: This prospective, controlled clinical observation study explored raltegravir's impact on the dynamics of HIV-1 RNA in plasma, and concentrations of total HIV-1 cDNA, episomal 2-long terminal repeat (LTR) circles and HIV-1 integrants in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).

Enhanced invasiveness of bovine-derived neonatal sequence type 17 group B streptococcus is independent of capsular serotype.

Background: A defined geographical area (Oxford, United Kingdom) was investigated for the role of group B Streptococcus (GBS) as a human pathogen.

Methods: GBS carriage in pregnant women and invasive disease in neonates and adults >60 years of age was studied over a 3-year period. Multilocus sequence typing and capsular serotyping were used to study 369 isolates of GBS from carriage in pregnant women (n=190) and invasive disease in neonates (n=109) and adults >60 years of age (n=70).