THE STUDY OF HIV INFECTION IN CHINESE ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY PATIENTS

Abstract

Analysis of changes in viral load after initiation of treatment with potent antiretroviral agents has provided substantial insights into the dynamics of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. We built a simple mathematics model to study the effect of latent-infected resting memory CD4+ T cells during the HIV infection and highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). Through analysis of eight patients who received HAART in China, we have an insight into the mechanisms of resting memory CD4+ T cells in HIV infection. Simulations show that new infections still exist in the eight patients even under the HAART. Also, because of the long half-life of resting infected memory CD4+ T cells, removal of HIV from patient could take considerably longer time or be unattainable.