Response to Haart and Gb Virus Type C Coinfection in a Cohort of Antiretroviral-Naive HIV-Infected Individuals
Authors:   for the HepaICoNA and the ICoNA Study Groups, Antonucci Giorgio , Girardi Enrico , Cozzi-Lepri Alessandro , Capobianchi Maria Rosaria , Morsica Giulia , Pizzaferri Paolo , Ladisa Nicoletta , Sighinolfi Laura , Chiodera Alessandro , Solmone Mariacarmela , Lalle Eleonora , Ippolito Giuseppe , Monforte Antonella d'Arminio , Ancarani F , Antinori A , Antonucci G , Bonasso M , Bruno R , Capobianchi MR , Cargnel A , Cozzi-Lepri A , d'Arminio Monforte A , Luca A De , Galli M , Gennero L , Girardi E , Lipani F , Marino N , Milazzo L , Morsica G , Narciso P , Pizzaferri P , Puoti M , Santantonio T , Verucchi G , Montroni M , Scalise G , Braschi MC , Prete MS Del , Tirelli U , Cinelli R , Pastore G , Ladisa N , Suter G Minafra. Bergamo: F , Arici C , Chiodo F , Colangeli V , Fiorini C , Coronado O , Carosi G , Cadeo GP , Torti C , Minardi C , Bertelli D , Rizzardini G , Migliorino G , Manconi PE , Piano P , Ferraro T , Scerbo A , Pizzigallo E , D'Alessandro M , Santoro D , Pusterla L , Carnevale G , Galloni D , Viganò P , Mena M , Ghinelli F , Sighinolfi L , Leoncini F , Mazzotta F , Pozzi M , Caputo S Lo , Angarano G , Grisorio B , Saracino A , Ferrara S , Grima P , Tundo P , Pagano G , Cassola G , Alessandrini A , Piscopo R , Toti M , Chigiotti S , Soscia F , Tacconi L , Orani A , Perini P , Scasso A , Vincenti A , Chiodera F , Castelli P , Scalzini A , Fibbia G , Moroni M , Lazzarin A , Cargnel A , Vigevani GM , Caggese L , Monforte A d'Arminio , Repetto D , Novati R , Galli A , Merli S , Pastecchia C , Moioli MC , Esposito R , Mussini C , Abrescia N , Chirianni A , Izzo CM , Piazza M , Marco M De , Viglietti R , Manzillo E , Graf M , Colomba A , Abbadessa V , Prestileo T , Mancuso S , Ferrari C , Pizzaferri P , Filice G , Minoli L , Bruno R , Novati S , Baldelli F , Tinca M , Petrelli E , Cioppi A , Alberici F , Ruggieri A , Menichetti F , Martinelli C , Stefano C De , Gala A La , Ballardini G , Briganti E , Magnani G , Ursitti MA , Arlotti M , Ortolani P , Cauda R , Dianzani F , Ippolito G , Antinori A , Antonucci G , D'Elia S , Narciso P , Petrosillo N , Vullo V , Luca A De , Giambenedetti S Di , Zaccarelli M , Acinapura R , Longis P De , Ciardi M , D'Offizi G , Trotta MP , Noto P , Lichtner M , Capobianchi MR , Girardi E , Pezzotti P , Rezza G , Mura MS , Mannazzu M , Resta F , Loso K , Caramello P , Sinicco A , Soranzo ML , Orofino G , Sciandra M , Bonasso M , Grossi PA , Basilico C , Poggio A , Bottari G , Raise E , Pasquinucci S , Lalla F De , Tositti G , Lepri A Cozzi 
Published: April 2022

The prognostic role of GB virus type C (GBV-C) viraemia in HIV-infected subjects treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is still undefined, The aim of this analysis is to assess the relationship between GBV-C infection and response to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected subjects initiating HAART when antiretroviral-naive.

A prospective, observational study of 400 HIV-infected patients with measurements of GBV-C RNA, hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and HCV RNA determined from plasma stored prior to HAART initiation, Time to virological (achieving HIV RNA ≤500 copies/ml) and immunological success (a CD4+ count increase of ≥200cells/μl), and the time to virological relapse (confirmed HIV RNA >500 copies/ml) were assessed by Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazard regression model.

Of the subjects, 117 (29.3%) were GBV-C positive and, overall, 351 (87.8%) patients achieved virological success, After controlling for a number of confounders including HCV RNA, GBV-C viraemic patients experienced a significantly lower risk of HIV rebound than those who were GBV-C negative [relative hazard (RH)=0.56, 95% CI: 0.34–0.93, P=0.03], Conversely, the probability of achieving initial virological success or CD4+ count response after HAART did not differ between GBV-C-negative and -positive subjects, These results suggest that GBV-C coinfection may play a role in determining the rate of HIV rebound possibly by competing with HIV replication after HIV load has been successfully suppressed by HAART.