Detectable HIV-1 in semen in individuals with very low blood viral loads
Date
2020-03-05
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BioMed Central
Abstract
Background: Several reports indicate that a portion (5–10%) of men living with HIV-1 intermittently shed HIV-1 RNA into
seminal plasma while on long term effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). This is highly suggestive of an HIV-1 reservoir in
the male genital tract. However, the status of this reservoir in men living with HIV-1 who are not under treatment is
underexplored and has implications for understanding the origins and evolution of the reservoir.
Finding: Forty-three HIV-1 positive, antiretroviral therapy naïve study participants attending a men’s health clinic were
studied. Semen viral loads and blood viral loads were generally correlated, with semen viral loads generally detected in
individuals with blood viral loads > 10,000 cp/ml. However, we found 1 individual with undetectable viral loads (<20cp/ml)
and 2 individuals with very low blood viral load (97 and 333cp/ml), but with detectable HIV-1 in semen (485–1157 copies/
semen sample). Blood viral loads in the first individual were undetectable when tested three times over the prior 5 years.
Conclusions: Semen HIV-1 viral loads are usually related to blood viral loads, as we confirm. Nonetheless, this was not
true in a substantial minority of individuals suggesting unexpectedly high levels of replication in the male genital tract
in a few individuals, despite otherwise effective immune control. This may reflect establishment of a local reservoir of
HIV-1 populations.
Description
CITATION: Kariuki, S. M., et al. 2020. Detectable HIV-1 in semen in individuals with very low blood viral loads. Virology Journal, 17:29, doi:10.1186/s12985-020-01300-6.
The original publication is available at https://virologyj.biomedcentral.com
The original publication is available at https://virologyj.biomedcentral.com
Keywords
HIV positive people, Semen, AIDS (Diseases), Viral load
Citation
Kariuki, S. M., et al. 2020. Detectable HIV-1 in semen in individuals with very low blood viral loads. Virology Journal, 17:29, doi:10.1186/s12985-020-01300-6