Low Postseroconversion CD4 + T-cell Level Is Associated with Faster Disease Progression and Higher Viral Evolutionary Rate in HIV-2 Infection

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Abstract
The relationship between HIV evolution and disease progression is fundamental to our understanding of HIV immune control and vaccine design. There are no clear definitions for faster and slower HIV-2 disease progression and for the relationship of the rate of progression with HIV-2 evolution. To address the hypothesis that viral evolution is correlated with disease progression in HIV-2 infection, we determined faster and slower disease progression based on follow-up data from a prospective cohort of police officers in Guinea-Bissau. The analysis showed that although the CD4 + T-cell level and the decline in the level were independently associated with progression to AIDS, only the CD4 + T-cell level or a combined CD4 + T-cell level/decline stratification was associated with the rate of HIV-2 evolution. The HIV-2 evolutionary rate was almost twice as high among the faster progressors as among the slower progressors. Importantly, this report defines previously unknown characteristics linking HIV-2 disease progression with virus evolution.
Funding Information
  • Swedish Research Council (2016-02285)
  • Swedish Research Council (350-2012-6628)
  • Swedish Research Council (2016-01417)
  • Swedish Research Council (321-2012-3274)
  • Swedish Society of Medical Research (SA-2016)
  • European Union Seventh Framework Programme FP7 (260864)

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