Mississippi Baby Remains Unprecedented, Despite Viral Rebound Source: Science Speaks: HIV & TB News By: Antigone Barton Date: 10 July 2014 The “Mississippi baby,” born with HIV, treated early and aggressively, lost to treatment at 18 months only to return to care with no signs of virus, showed detectable viral levels in a clinic visit earlier this month, the National Institutes of Health announced today. Tests also showed a drop in the now four-year-old child’s immune cell count, as well as antibodies to HIV. It is a disappointing turn in a case that encouraged hope worldwide that immediate and intensive treatment could, perhaps, change the course of the epidemic by proving it was possible to eliminate the virus in infants. Researchers have stressed they were not quick to conclude that had occurred in this case, and had sought repeated confirmations that the child had been infected with HIV in the first place and was in fact clear of the virus. Their findings had spurred physicians treating other babies to take a similar approach to immediate treatment with the same combination of antiretroviral medicines, with promising results from several infants including one in California, reported at the 2014 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. The case also inspired the launch of the P1115 trial, supported by the IMPAACT (International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials) Network, that opened last month, a multi-center study to explore the effects of early intensive antiretroviral therapy on achieving HIV remission in newborns. “The study is still in play,” National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a news briefing Thursday, adding that it has not yet enlisted participants, and that it is being re-examined, including for amendments to the informed consent materials given to trial participants. The study retains the goal of seeking to determine information on optimal treatment for newborns. See this entire article here: sciencespeaksblog.org/2014/07/10/mississippi-baby-remains-unprecedented-despite-viral-rebound/
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 05:30:01 +0000