Impact of the Timing of Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy During Primary HIV-1 Infection on the Decay of Cell-Associated

Background. Combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) initiation during primary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (PHI) yields a larger decrease in cell-associated HIV-DNA (CA-HIV-DNA) than initiation during the chronic phase. Our objective was to model the short and long-term decay of CA-HIV-DNA blood reservoir in patients initiating cART during PHI and to assess the impact of the timing of cART initiation on CA-HIV-DNA decay. Methods. We included patients enrolled during PHI in the Agence Nationale de Recherche sur le Sida PRIMO cohort, treated within the month following enrollment and achieving sustained virologic response. The decay of CA-HIV-DNA over time while on successful cART was modeled with a 3-slope linear mixed-effects model accord-ing to the delay between estimated date of infection and cART initiation. Results. Three hundred twenty-seven patients were included, accounting for 1305 CA-HIV-DNA quantifications. Median time between infection and cART initiation was 41 days (interquartile range, 33–54 days). Median follow-up under cART was 2.3 years (range, 0.4–16.6 years). The timing of cART initiation had significant impact on the firs