HIV controllers with different viral load cutoff levels have distinct virologic and immunologic profiles.

Background—The mechanisms behind natural control of HIV replication are still unclear, and several studies pointed that elite controllers are a heterogeneous group. Methods—We performed analyses of virologic, genetic and immunologic parameters of HIV-1 controllers groups: 1) Elite Controllers (EC; VL <80 copies/mL); 2) Ebbing Elite Controllers (EEC; transient viremia/blips); and Viremic Controllers (VC; detectable viremia <5,000 copies/ mL). Untreated non-controllers (NC), patients under suppressive HAART and HIV-1 negative individuals were analyzed as controls. Results—Total and integrated HIV-1 DNA for EC were significantly lower than for NC and HAART groups. 2-LTR circles were detected in EEC (3/5) and VC (6/7) but not in EC. While EC and EEC maintain normal T cell counts over time, some VC displayed negative CD4+ T cells slopes. VC and EEC showed a higher percentage of activated CD8+ T cells and microbial translocation than HIV-1 negative controls. EC displayed a weaker Gag/Nef IFN-γ T cell response and a significantly lower proportion of anti-HIV IgG antibodies than EEC, VC and NC groups. Conclusion—Transient/persistent low level viremia in HIV controllers may have an impact on immunologic and virologic profiles. Classify HIV controllers patients taking into account their virologic profile may decrease the heterogeneity of HIV controllers cohorts, which may help to clarify the mechanisms associated to the elite control of HIV.