Latent HIV Reservoirs Can Possibly Persist Indefinitely

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University offer up a sobering prediction for HIV-positive people'HIV reservoirs in memory CD4 cells are unlikely to ever be completely eradicated no matter how long blood-based viral levels are suppressed through antiretroviral drug treatment. Their study, published in the May 19 online edition of the journal Nature Medicine, showed that the average half-life of latently infected CD4 cells is 44.2 months, nearly mirroring a previous study by the researchers showing the half-life to be at least 43 months. 'At that rate, assuming a million infected cells in the body, it would take about 70 years for them to decay,' lead researcher Robert Siliciano told Reuters Health. 'Basically, this means the reservoir is never going to go away.' He added, 'We may be able to keep them disease-free for life, which is great, but I think it's unlikely that the infection will be cured ever.'