HIV-1 RNA Kinetics in Blood Plasma and in Seminal Plasma of Men Starting a Dolutegravir-Based Triple-Combination Regimen at the Time of Primary HIV-1 Infection

We compared the proportion of participants achieving first undetectable HIV-1 RNA (VL) in seminal plasma (SP) and blood plasma (BP) in 19 men starting dolutegravir-based regimen at primary HIV infection. At baseline, median VI, was 6.5 (interquartile range [IQR], 5.6-7.9) and 4.5 (IQR, 3.5-5.0) log 10 copies/mL in BP and SP, respectively. Between baseline and week 48, significantly higher proportion of participants achieved first VL below limit of quantification in SP (93.0%) than in BP (84.2%; P = .008). Time to first undetectable VL was 8 weeks in SP (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.6-10.4) and 24 weeks in BP (95% Cl, 14.1-33.9).

Automated summary

In men starting dolutegravir-based regimen at primary HIV infection, achieving first undetectable HIV-1 RNA in seminal plasma was significantly faster compared to blood plasma, with a higher proportion reaching undetectable levels in seminal plasma.