Highly active antiretroviral therapy started during pregnancy or postpartum suppresses HIV-1 RNA, but not DNA, in breast milk

J Infect Dis. 2005 Sep 1;192(5):713-9. doi: 10.1086/432489. Epub 2005 Jul 27.

Abstract

Background: The ability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to reduce human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA and DNA in breast milk has not been described.

Methods: We compared breast-milk HIV-1 RNA and DNA loads of women in Botswana who received HAART (nevirapine, lamivudine, and zidovudine) and women who did not receive HAART.

Results: Women in the HAART group received treatment for a median of 98 days (range, 67-222 days) at the time of breast-milk sampling; 23 (88%) of 26 had whole breast-milk HIV-1 RNA loads <50 copies/mL, compared with 9 (36%) of 25 women who did not receive HAART (P=.0001). This finding remained significant in a multivariate logistic-regression model (P = .0006). The whole-milk HIV-1 DNA load was unaffected by HAART. Of women who received HAART, 13 (50%) of 26 had HIV-1 DNA loads <10 copies/10(6) cells, compared with 15 (65%) of 23 who did not receive HAART (P = .39).

Conclusions: HAART suppressed cell-free HIV-1 RNA in breast milk and may therefore reduce mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV-1 via breast-feeding. However, HAART initiated during pregnancy or early after delivery had no apparent effect on cell-associated HIV-1 DNA loads in breast milk. Clinical trials to determine MTCT among breast-feeding women receiving HAART are needed.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active*
  • Botswana
  • Cohort Studies
  • DNA, Viral / blood
  • DNA, Viral / metabolism*
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / drug therapy*
  • HIV Infections / metabolism
  • HIV Infections / virology
  • HIV-1 / genetics*
  • HIV-1 / growth & development
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Lactation / metabolism*
  • Logistic Models
  • Milk, Human / metabolism
  • Milk, Human / virology*
  • Postpartum Period
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / drug therapy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / virology
  • RNA, Viral / blood
  • RNA, Viral / metabolism*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Viral Load

Substances

  • DNA, Viral
  • RNA, Viral