Quantitative Relationship of Circulating p24 Antigen with Human ImmunodeficiencyVirus (HIV) RNA and Specific Antibody in HIV-Infected Subjects Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy

摘要

To better understand the biologic meaning and potential clinical utility of p24antigen measurements in human immunodeficiency vims (HIV) infection, p24 antigen and antibody, and HIV RNA were quantitated in parallel. Specimens (n = 311) were analyzed from 74 participants in a zidovudine treatment study. The parallel antigen and RNA measurements revealed the frequent occurrence of two types of discordant results. First, p24 antigen was often not detected in samples with high antibody levels even when more than 106 RNA copies/mL were present. Second, in those specimens where p24 antigen was detected, the concentration was greater than expected based on HIV RNA values. These results suggest that optimal utilization of serum p24 antigen values will require consideration of both specific antibody levels and non-virion associated antigen.