GB Virus C Coinfection and HIV-1 Disease Progression: The Amsterdam Cohort Study

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 191; no. 5; pp. 678 - 685
• Main Authors: Van der Bij, Akke K., Kloosterboer, Nico, Prins, Maria, Boeser-Nunnink, Brigitte, Geskus, Ronald B., Lange, Joep M. A., Coutinho, Roel A., Schuitemaker, Hanneke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.03.2005; University of Chicago Press; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Adult; AIDS; Anti-HIV Agents - therapeutic use; Antibodies; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; Biological and medical sciences; Coinfection; Disease Progression; Flaviviridae Infections - complications; Flaviviridae Infections - immunology; Flaviviridae Infections - physiopathology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GB virus; GB virus C; GB virus C - genetics; GB virus C - isolation & purification; Highly active antiretroviral therapy; HIV 1; HIV Antibodies - blood; HIV Infections - complications; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - physiopathology; HIV-1 - immunology; HIV/AIDS; Human immunodeficiency virus 1; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Proportional Hazards Models; Prospective Studies; RNA; RNA, Viral - blood; Time Factors; Virology; Viruses; Netherlands; Virus; Disease development; Mixed infection; Microbiology; HIV-1 virus; Cohort study; Retroviridae; Human immunodeficiency virus; Flaviviridae; Flavivirus; Lentivirus; Hepatitis G virus
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/427559

BackgroundThe effect that GB virus C (GBV-C) coinfection has on human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) disease progression is controversial and therefore was studied in 326 homosexual men from the prospective Amsterdam Cohort Studies who had an accurately estimated date of HIV-1 seroconversion and were followed up for a median period of 8 years MethodsA first plasma sample, obtained shortly after HIV-1 seroconversion, and a last plasma sample, obtained before 1996, were tested for GBV-C RNA and envelope protein–2 antibodies. The effect that GBV-C has on HIV-1 disease progression was studied by use of time-dependent Cox proportional-hazards models with adjustment for baseline variables and time-updated HIV-1 RNA and CD4+ cell count ResultsMen who lost GBV-C RNA between collection of the first sample and collection of the last sample had a nearly 3-fold-higher risk of HIV-1 disease progression than did men who had never had GBV-C RNA. This effect became much smaller after adjustment for time-updated CD4+ cell count ConclusionRather than a positive effect of GBV-C RNA presence, a negative effect of GBV-C RNA loss on HIV-1 disease progression was found, which disappeared after adjustment for time-updated CD4+ cell count. We therefore hypothesize that GBV-C RNA persistence depends on the presence of a sufficient number of CD4+ cells—and that the CD4+ cell decrease associated with HIV-1 disease progression is a cause, not a consequence, of GBV-C RNA loss