Correlation of immune activation with HIV-1 RNA levels assayed by real-time RT-PCR in HIV-1 subtype C infected patients in Northern India

Background: Assays with specificity and cost effectiveness are needed for the measurement of HIV-1 burden to monitor disease progression or response to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in HIV-1 subtype C infected patients. Objectives: The objective of this study was to develop and validate an affordable one step real-time RT-PCR assay with high specificity and sensitivity to measure plasma HIV-1 loads in HIV-1 subtype C infected patients. Results: We developed an RT-PCR assay to detect and quantitate plasma HIV-1 levels in HIV-1 subtype C infected patients. An inverse correlation between plasma viral loads (PVL) and CD4+ T-cell numbers was detected at all CDC stages. Significant correlations were found between CD8+ T-cell activation and PVL, as well as with the clinical and immunological status of the patients. Conclusions: This RT-PCR assay provides a sensitive method to measure PVL in HIV-1 subtype C infected patients. Viral loads correlated with immune activation and can be used to monitor HIV care in India.