'Mississippi Baby' now has detectable HIV, researchers find -- ScienceDaily - 0 views
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The child known as the 'Mississippi baby' -- an infant seemingly cured of HIV that was reported as a case study of a prolonged remission of HIV infection
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now has detectable levels of HIV after more than two years of not taking antiretroviral therapy without evidence of virus
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an infant seemingly cured of HIV that was reported as a case study of a prolonged remission of HIV infection
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now has detectable levels of HIV after more than two years of not taking antiretroviral therapy without evidence of virus
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"Scientifically, this development reminds us that we still have much more to learn about the intricacies of HIV infection and where the virus hides in the body. The NIH remains committed to moving forward with research on a cure for HIV infection."
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The child was born prematurely in a Mississippi clinic in 2010 to an HIV-infected mother who did not receive antiretroviral medication during pregnancy and was not diagnosed with HIV infection until the time of delivery
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Because of the high risk of HIV exposure, the infant was started at 30 hours of age on liquid, triple-drug antiretroviral treatment.
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Testing confirmed within several days that the baby had been infected with HIV. At two weeks of age, the baby was discharged from the hospital and continued on liquid antiretroviral therapy
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The baby continued on antiretroviral treatment until 18 months of age, when the child was lost to follow up and no longer received treatment
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when the child was again seen by medical staff five months later, blood samples revealed undetectable HIV levels (less than 20 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood (copies/mL)) and no HIV-specific antibodies
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The child continued to do well in the absence of antiretroviral medicines and was free of detectable HIV for more than two years
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To date, the child is tolerating the medication with no side effects and treatment is decreasing virus levels
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Genetic sequencing of the virus indicated that the child's HIV infection was the same strain acquired from the mother
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In light of the new findings, researchers must now work to better understand what enabled the child to remain off treatment for more than two years without detectable virus or measurable immunologic response
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what might be done to extend the period of sustained HIV remission in the absence of antiretroviral therapy
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"The prolonged lack of viral rebound, in the absence of HIV-specific immune responses, suggests that the very early therapy not only kept this child clinically well, but also restricted the number of cells harboring HIV infection," said Katherine Luzuriaga, M.D., professor of molecular medicine, pediatrics and medicine at the University of Massachusetts
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indicates that early antiretroviral treatment in this HIV-infected infant did not completely eliminate the reservoir of HIV-infected cells that was established upon infection
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may have considerably limited its development and averted the need for antiretroviral medication over a considerable period
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during a routine clinical care visit earlier this month, the child, now nearly 4 years of age, was found to have detectable HIV levels in the blood