Overly strict adherence to undetectable VL may also have side effects, leading to unnecessary regimen changes, more intensive use of resources and more anxiety for patients (and physicians), and may also complicate the evaluation of endpoints in clinical 5 FU research [1]. Nevertheless, more subtle consequences should be considered. Low-level residual viraemia might affect immune recovery and contribute to persistent immune dysfunction

by triggering T-cell activation and increasing activation-induced cell death, at least in some patients [17-19]. Residual viraemia has been correlated with persistent CD4 and CD8 T-cell activation, in particular in patients with poor immune reconstitution [19]. Persistent immune activation and subsequent systemic inflammation might also participate in endothelium alterations and central nervous system homeostasis, favouring cardiovascular events and neurocognitive disorders [20, 21]. Stem Cell Compound Library solubility dmso Therefore, further studies considering these endpoints are warranted. Our study has significant limitations. In our practice, therapeutic dosage monitoring is not routinely performed in patients with VL < 50 copies/mL, so we cannot take pharmacological parameters into account. We also

do not routinely capture adherence level, which could be a potential confounding factor when dealing with this issue. Thus, with no plausible biological explanation for the association between lower CD4 count and a strictly undetectable VL, it remains possible that it is a fortuitous association. Finally, a cross-sectional study does not allow causality to be determined. Physicians could be prone to changing the regimen of a patient with a VL between 20 and 50 copies/mL. This could explain in part the greater proportion of patients receiving a bPI-based regimen in this group, PIs being known to lead to less resistance acquisition because of a higher viral genetic barrier. Recent studies have suggested that low-level

viraemia could carry a risk of future suboptimal virological control, although the clinical relevance and optimal management of low-level viraemia are still to be defined. Using a routine RT-PCR, we showed that a longer duration of viral suppression < 50 copies/mL, lower SPTBN5 viral load zenith and NNRTI-based regimens were independently associated with a strictly undetectable VL. This RT-PCR assay may prove to be a valuable tool in further large-scale studies focusing on the long-term consequences of low-level viraemia. We thank the entire centre’s technical staff for data quality assessment, and ViiV Healthcare for developing and maintaining the software. “
“Although current guidelines recommend resistance testing prior to antiretroviral therapy (ART) reinitiation after treatment interruptions, virological failure of first-line ritonavir-boosted, protease-inhibitor (PI/r)-containing ART is associated with low emergent PI resistance.