High Transmitter CD4+ T-Cell Count Shortly after the Time of Transmission in a Study of African Serodiscordant Couples

Below:  First available CD4 count in 272 linked transmitting partners following HIV transmission. Vertical dashed line shows the analysis cut point of 90 days post EDI.

From 2006–2011, 4,705 HIV-discordant couples were enrolled in this cohort, and 443 cases of incident HIV infection were documented. Virus linkage analysis was performed in 374 transmission pairs, and 273 (73%) transmissions were linked genetically. CD4 counts in the transmitting partner were measured a median of 56 days after EDI (mean:90.5, min:10, max:396). The median CD4 count was 339 cells/μl (mean:386.4, min:15, max:1,434), and the proportion of partners with a CD4+ T-cell count above 500/μl was 25% (95% CI:21, 31).

In our cohort of discordant couples, 73% of HIV transmissions occurred within the relationship, and the transmitter CD4+ T cell count shortly after the transmission event was frequently higher than the WHO 2013 ART-initiation guidelines.

Read more at:   http://goo.gl/qBsf1V HT @AIDSVaccine