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: The intensity of expression of the chemokine receptor CCR5 is involved in in vitro cell infectability by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 R5 isolates. Because CCR5 expression varies among individuals, the hypothesis that this expression could determine virus load in HIV-1-infected persons was tested. The mean number of CCR5 molecules per cell was measured on peripheral blood CD4 T lymphocytes (CCR5 density) from HIV-1-infected, asymptomatic, nontreated adults. There was a strong correlation between HIV RNA plasma level and CCR5 density (P = .009) that was independent of cell activation and was not due to an HIV-induced CCR5 up-regulation. These data are compatible with the hypothesis that CCR5 density is a key factor governing cell infectability and in vivo virus production and explain the protective effect of the [DELTA]32CCR5 deletion, which results in low CCR5 expression. CCR5 density might be of critical predictive value in HIV infection.

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