Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026

An In vitro Co-infection Model to Study Plasmodium falciparum-HIV-1 Interactions in Human Primary Monocyte-derived Immune Cells
Published on: August 15, 2012
A sudden rise in viral load is infrequently associated with HIV-1 superinfection
Suzanne Jurriaans1, Karolina Kozaczynska, Fokla Zorgdrager
1Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Objective:
To investigate the association between an unexpected increase in the blood plasma HIV-1 viral load in chronically untreated HIV-infected patients and the occurrence of an HIV superinfection, we analyzed the HIV-1 quasispecies in plasma samples before and at peak level in 14 patients.
Results:
Phylogenetic analysis of HIV-1 env-V3 fragments showed that in 2 patients a superinfection had occurred: their dominant V3 population at the peak level clustered separately from the V3 sequences in a sample predating the peak level. The rapid rise in viral load could be attributed to upper respiratory tract infections or a vaccination in 4 patients, suggesting that even minor health problems can result in significantly increased HIV-1 replication. In most other patients, no minor or major medical condition accompanied the rise in HIV-1 viral load, implying that in these patients the viral load increase was probably associated with disease progression.
Conclusion:
This study suggests that an unexpected rapid rise in the plasma HIV-1 viral load of untreated patients can infrequently be ascribed to an HIV-1 superinfection.
More Related Videos
11:14Ex Vivo Infection of Human Lymphoid Tissue and Female Genital Mucosa with Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 and Histoculture
Published on: October 12, 2018
13:58Amplifying and Quantifying HIV-1 RNA in HIV Infected Individuals with Viral Loads Below the Limit of Detection by Standard Clinical Assays
Published on: September 26, 2011
Related Concept Videos
Viral Mutations
Retrovirus Life Cycles
Size and Structure of Viral Genomes
Viral Recombination
Viral Hepatitis I: Introduction
Sexually Transmitted Infections