Independent levels of cell-free and cell-associated human immunodeficiency virus-1 in genital-tract secretions of clinically asymptomatic, treatment-naive African women

Abstract

Using ultrasensitive polymerase chain reaction-based techniques, we assessed levels of cell-free and cell-associated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-I in paired blood and genital samples of 30 clinically asymptomatic, treatment-naive women. Levels of HIV-1 RNA in cervicovaginal-lavage samples were positively correlated with those in plasma samples (r = .50; P = .008), whereas levels of HIV-1 DNA in genital samples were loosely correlated with those in blood samples (r = .31; P = .041). In plasma of peripheral blood, levels of HIV-1 DNA were positively correlated with those of HIV-1 RNA (r = . 64; P