Early immunologic and virologic predictors of clinical HIV-1 disease progression.

Objective: To identify early determinants of HIV-1 disease progression, which could potentially enable individualized patient treatment, and provide correlates of progression applicable as reference phenotypes to evaluate breakthrough infections in vaccine development.

Design: High-throughput technologies were employed to interrogate multiple parameters on cryopreserved, retrospective peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples from 51 individuals from São Paulo, Brazil, obtained within 1 year of diagnosing early Clade B HIV-1 infection. Fast Progressors, Slow Progressors, and Controllers were identified based on a 2-year clinical follow-up.

Faster HIV-1 disease progression among Brazilian individuals recently infected with CXCR4-utilizing strains.

Introduction: Primary HIV infection is usually caused by R5 viruses, and there is an association between the emergence of CCXR4-utilizing strains and faster disease progression. We characterized HIV-1 from a cohort of recently infected individuals in Brazil, predicted the virus's co-receptor use based on the env genotype and attempted to correlate virus profiles with disease progression.

Methods: A total of 72 recently infected HIV patients were recruited based on the Serologic Testing Algorithm for Recent HIV Seroconversion and were followed every three to four months for up to 78 weeks.

Prevalence, incidence density, and genotype distribution of GB virus C infection in a cohort of recently HIV-1-infected subjects in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Background: The results of previous studies elsewhere have indicated that GB virus C (GBV-C) infection is frequent in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) due to similar transmission routes of both viruses. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, incidence density and genotypic characteristics of GBV-C in this population.

Methodology/principal Findings: The study population included 233 patients from a cohort primarily comprised of homosexual men recently infected with HIV-1 in São Paulo, Brazil.

Evaluation of primary resistance to HIV entry inhibitors among brazilian patients failing reverse transcriptase/protease inhibitors treatment reveal high prevalence of maraviroc resistance-related mutations.

Entry inhibitor is a new class of drugs that target the viral envelope protein. This region is variable; hence resistance to these drugs may be present before treatment. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency of patients failing treatment with transcriptase reverse and protease inhibitors that would respond to the entry inhibitors Enfuvirtide, Maraviroc, and BMS-806.