Immediate antiretroviral use may cut risk of HIV transmission between partners

Individuals who are diagnosed with HIV are sometimes not prescribed antiretroviral treatments until their counts of CD4+ T cells drop below a certain level. However, some studies have shown that earlier treatment may provide better outcomes for these people.

Now, research conducted by scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases indicates that immediate antiretroviral use may help reduce the risk of HIV transmission from an infected partner to another who does not already have the disease.

"Previous data about the potential value of antiretrovirals in making HIV-infected individuals less infectious to their sexual partners came largely from observational and epidemiological studies. This new finding convincingly demonstrates that treating the infected individual - and doing so sooner rather than later - can have a major impact on reducing HIV transmission," said lead researcher Anthony S. Fauci.

The experiment involved more than 1,700 couples. Among the 28 individuals who were infected by their partner during the study period, 27 of these cases were found in the group that did not receive immediate antiretroviral therapy. Moreover, 17 HIV-positive participants in the delayed treatment group experienced extrapulmonary tuberculosis, while only three in the other subset developed this illness.