Markers of Immune Activation and Inflammation Are Associated with Higher Levels of Genetically-Intact HIV in HIV-HBV Co-Infected Individuals

Abstract

Co-infection with hepatitis B (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) increases overall and liver-related mortality. In order to identify interactions between these two viruses in vivo, full-length HIV proviruses were sequenced from a cohort of HIV-HBV coinfected participants and from a cohort of HIV mono-infected participants recruited from Bangkok, Thailand, both before the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and after at least 2 years of ART. The co-infected individuals were found to have higher levels of geneticallyintact HIV proviruses than did mono-infected individuals pre-therapy. In these co-infected individuals, higher levels of genetically-intact HIV proviruses or provi..