Equal HIV-1 decay kinetics in HSV-2-infected and HSV-2-uninfected clinical trial participants treated with antiretroviral therapy.

Herpes simplex virus-2 increases HIV-1 viral load and may augment HIV-1 transmission probability. To test the hypothesis that lower HIV-1 clearance rates in HSV-2-infected persons may account for this higher HIV-1 viral load, we studied 149 participants from 3 ACTG viral dynamic studies (A315, A5160s, and A5166s). Though HIV-1 viral load was 0.19 logs higher in HSV-2-positive versus HSV-2-negative persons, first and second phase clearance rates during antiretroviral therapy were equal between participants in these 2 groups.