Cell-Based Measures of Viral Persistence Are Associated With Immune Activation and Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 (PD-1)–Expressing CD4+ T cells

Cell-based measurements of viral persistence were consistently associated with markers of immune activation and the frequency of PD-1-expressing CD4(+) T cells. Treated patients with a low CD4(+) T-cell count had higher frequencies of PD-1-expressing CD4(+) T cells and cell-based measures of viral persistence, suggesting that HIV infection in these individuals may be more difficult to cure and may require unique interventions.