Variations in the frequencies of torque teno virus subpopulations during HAART treatment in HIV-1-coinfected patients.
Sera from 15 patients coinfected with TTV and HIV-1, collected before and at two times after introduction of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART), were tested for TTV load and the presence of the five highly divergent TTV phylogenetic groups. Seven patients showed a 1-5 log TTV load decrease during HAART, while the others did not show significant variations. A decrease in the number of coinfecting TTV genogroups was detected in 12 of 15 patients, with the mean number of TTV genogroups/patient decreasing from 2.33 before HAART to 1.47 at the last collect. All five genogroups were less frequently found after introduction of HAART. Three hundred sixty-seven TTV clones from four different genogroups, derived from two patients, were sequenced. Noticeable fluctuations in TTV subpopulation frequencies were observed in both patients analyzed. In conclusion, HAART tends to reduce the number of TTV genotypes/genogroups and may affect the balance between different TTV isolates coinfecting single individuals.