ART does not correct plasma virome and cytokine dysregulations induced by HIV-1

Background: HIV-1 infection leads to an expansion of plasma anelloviruses and dysregulation of inflammation. However, the effects of ART on plasma virome and cytokine profile are not well-understood. To understand the the dynamics of plasma virome and 27 cytokines, we followed 26 HIV-1-infected individuals and compared them with 19 healthy controls during the first year of ART. Results: ART resulted in an increased abundance and prevalence of human pegivirus type 1 (HPgV-1) in plasma, while slightly decrease of anellovirus diversity and abundance was observed. No obvious impact was found for other commensal viruses. Notably, most cytokines dysregulated were not fully restored by ART, with abnormal levels of IL-10, GM-CSF, VEGF, and eotaxin, and a significantly increased level of plasma I-FABP. Anelloviruses showed significantly negative correlations with other commensal viruses except HPgV-1, but had positive corrections with several anti-inflammatory and Th1 cytokines.Conclusions: These results indicate that ART does not significantly correct the virome and cytokine dysregulations associated with HIV-1 infection.