3rd Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections Washington, DC - January 28-February 1, 1996

Conf Retroviruses Opportunistic Infect 1996 Jan 28-Feb 1; 3rd:58 (abstract no. 31)

Operskalski EA
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.

BACKGROUND: In the TSS, 90% of recipients of components from HIV-1 positive donors became infected. In contrast, 32% of long-term heterosexual partners of the recipients became infected. We examined the importance of plasma viral load in these two contexts representing very different mechanisms and probabilities of transmission.

METHODS: Donors' sera stored at donation and recipients' sera collected throughout the period of possible transmission to their partners were evaluated for quantitative HIV-1 RNA using the Amplicor HIV Monitor Assay™ (Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.).

RESULTS: Mean RNA levels for transmitting and non-transmitting donors were 3.4 and 3.0 log_l0 copies/m L (p= 0.0l). Levels for sexually transmitting and non-transmitting recipients were 4.3 and 3.6 logl0 copies/mL (P= 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Viral load appears to be the identifiably important determinant for both transfusion- and heterosexual-transmission of HIV-1 infection. (Supported by NHLBI Contracts NOl-HB-4-7002,4-7003, and 9-7074.)

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Copyright © 1996 - Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health . Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health.