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Viral load, also known as viral burden, is a numerical expression of the quantity of virus in a given volume of fluid, including biological and environmental specimens. It is not to be confused with viral titre or viral titer , which depends on the assay.
The results of a viral load test help determine when a CD4 count is indicated. [1] CD4 cells are the primary target of HIV. A CD4 test quantifies Helper T cells and is often combined with viral load testing to monitor the progression of HIV. CD4 testing shows the strength of the immune system, but does not report viral activity.
A different version of this test is intended for use in conjunction with clinical presentation and other laboratory markers of disease progress for the management of HIV-1-infected patients. In the RT-PCR test, viral RNA is extracted from the patient's plasma and is treated with reverse transcriptase (RT) to convert the viral RNA into cDNA.
The higher the viral load at the set point, the faster the virus will progress to AIDS; the lower the viral load at the set point, the longer the patient will remain in clinical latency, the next stage of the infection. The asymptomatic or clinical latency phase is marked by slow replication of the HIV virus, followed by steady depletion of CD4 ...
Viral load monitoring is the most important predictor of response to treatment with ART. [84] Lack of viral load suppression on ART is termed virologic failure. Levels higher than 200 copies per ml is considered virologic failure, and should prompt further testing for potential viral resistance. [7]
Virological failure is defined as the failure to meet a specific target of antiviral drug treatment, namely the non-attainment or non-maintenance of undetectable viral load, particularly in the treatment of HIV. As antiretroviral therapy is evaluated by detecting the amount of copies of the virus in blood samples, the concept of virological ...
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The viral load of an infected person is an important risk factor in both sexual and mother-to-child transmission. [67] During the first 2.5 months of an HIV infection, a person's infectiousness is twelve times higher due to the high viral load associated with acute HIV. [65]