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Viral immunity

Week on, week off

Nature Reviews Immunology volume 2, pages 72–73 (2002)Cite this article

Chronically infected HIV patients who controlled their plasma HIV RNA while receiving continual HAART were treated with a SIT regimen consisting of 7 days on HAART followed by 7 days off HAART. Viral replication in peripheral blood and at reservoir sites was successfully suppressed in all patients who remained on this regimen. The CD4+ T-cell counts were maintained in these patients and no significant increases in CD4+ or CD8+ T cells expressing activation markers or producing interferon-γ in response to HIV were seen. The toxic side-effects (as indicated by increased levels of serum cholesterol and triglycerides) were reduced and there was no evidence to suggest that resistance to antiretroviral therapies developed.

This study shows that SIT HAART regimes may be an effective way to significantly reduce the cost and toxicity of antiretroviral therapy. These results are particularly important for resource-poor countries where the cost of antiretroviral agents means that treatment is currently limited.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS

  1. Dybul, M. et al. Short-cycle structured intermittent treatment of chronic HIV infection with highly active antiretroviral therapy: effects on virologic, immunologic, and toxicity parameters. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 98, 15161–15166 (2001)

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  1. Jenny Buckland
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Buckland, J. Week on, week off. Nat Rev Immunol 2, 72–73 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nri730

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nri730

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