Evaluation of Epstein-Barr Virus Salivary Shedding in HIV/AIDS Patients and HAART Use: A Retrospective Cohort Study

• DOI: 10.1007/s12250-018-0028-z
• Publication Date: 2018-04-13T10:59:20Z
• Authors: Yan Yan; Yong Ren; Renfang Chen; Jing Hu; Yongjia Ji; Junyang Yang; Jiayin Shen; Lvyin Hu; Hao Pei; Jun Wang; Yuanwang Qiu; Hongzhou Lu; Lihua Huang
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections; 0303 health sciences; Adolescent; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; HIV Infections; Middle Aged; Viral Load; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; Virus Shedding; 3. Good health; Young Adult; 03 medical and health sciences; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; DNA, Viral; Humans; Female; Saliva; Retrospective Studies

Little data is available on the evaluation of the occurrence rates of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in saliva and relationship with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) use in HIV/AIDS patients in China. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of EBV serological tests for HIV/AIDS patients who were treated in the hospitals for infectious diseases in Wuxi and Shanghai, China from May 2016 to April 2017. The EBV-seropositive samples were identified by ELISA. EBV-specific primers and probes were used for the quantitative detection of viral DNA from saliva via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. CD4 cell counts of the HIV/AIDS patients were detected by a flow cytometry. A total of 372 HIV/AIDS patients were ultimately selected and categorized for this retrospective cohort study. For EBV IgG and IgM, the HIV/AIDS HAART use (H) and non-HAART use (NH) groups had significantly higher seropositive rates than the HIV-negative control group. The HIV/AIDS (NH) group had the highest seropositive rate (IgG, 94.27%; IgM, 68.98%) and the highest incidence of EBV reactivation or infection. For salivary EBV DNA-positive rates and quantities, the HIV/AIDS (H) (73.69%) and the HIV/AIDS (NH) (100%) groups showed significantly higher values than the HIV-negative control group (35.79%, > twofold). Further, the salivary EBV DNA-negative population had significantly higher CD4 cell counts than the EBV DNA-positive population in the HIV/AIDS (H) group and the HIV/AIDS (NH) groups. Thus, HAART use is beneficial in decreasing the EBV salivary shedding in HIV/AIDS patients and indirectly decreases EBV transmission risk.