Antiretroviral treatment of HIV-2 infection. (August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mendoza, Carmen de; Requena, Silvia; Caballero, Estrella; Cabezas, Teresa; Peñaranda, María; Amengual, María José; Sáez, Ana; Lozano, Ana Belén; Ramos, José M; Soriano, Vincent
• Is Part Of: Future virology. Volume 12:Number 8(2017)
• Page Start: 461
• Page End: 472
• Publication Date: 2017-08
• Subjects: antiretroviral therapy -- dolutegravir -- drug resistance -- HIV-2; Virology -- Periodicals; Virus diseases -- Treatment -- Periodicals; 616.9101
• DOI: 10.2217/fvl-2017-0037
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1746-0794

Abstract

HIV-2 is a neglected virus despite estimates of 1–2 million people being infected worldwide. AIDS develops more slowly in HIV-2 than HIV-1. Outside endemic regions, HIV-2 is mostly found in immigrants from west Africa or their sex partners. There are four major caveats when treating HIV-2. First, some antiretrovirals are not or only partially active against HIV-2. Second, CD4 declines in HIV-2 occur slowly, but CD4 recovery is smaller with antiretroviral treatment. Third, both virological failure and rapid emergence of drug resistance occur more frequently in HIV-2 than HIV-1. Finally, misdiagnosis of HIV-2 in patients wrongly considered as infected with HIV-1 or in those dually infected may result in treatment failures with undetectable HIV-1 RNA. Integrase inhibitors, and especially dolutegravir, should be part of any preferred HIV-2 antiretroviral combination nowadays.