HIV Detected in Mississippi Baby who Was 'Cured' of the Infection

The Mississippi baby, who was once considered "cured" of HIV, has detectable levels of the virus, federal researchers announced Thursday. The latest development in the case has dashed hopes of finding a way to treat the infection in infants.

Last year, Deborah Persaud and colleagues at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center had announced that aggressive treatment using anti-retroviral drugs had helped 'cure' HIV in a baby born in rural Mississippi. The drugs were given in just 30 hours after birth. Doctors were hoping that the case study would lead to advancements in HIV treatments.

The child is now four years old and has detectable levels of the virus.

"Certainly, this is a disappointing turn of events for this young child, the medical staff involved in the child's care, and the HIV/AIDS research community," said Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) "Scientifically, this development reminds us that we still have much more to learn about the intricacies of HIV infection and where the virus hides in the body. The NIH remains committed to moving forward with research on a cure for HIV infection."

The child was born prematurely to an HIV positive mother in a Mississippi clinic in 2010. Doctors began early anti-retroviral therapy. After 18 months, doctors lost contact with the baby and its family, Bloomberg reported.

Five months later, doctors tested the baby for HIV again. They found that viral load was almost undetectable - less than 20 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood (copies/mL). The infant also had no HIV-specific antibodies and was doing well without using any drugs for the condition.

The hopes of a "cure for HIV" dashed early this month when doctors found detectable levels of the virus - 16,750 copies/mL. Another test, conducted 72 hours later, also showed high levels of the virus. Additionally, the child has low number of CD4+ T-cells, which is a key component of a normal immune system, and has HIV antibodies.

The child, who some media reports claim to be a girl, is now on anti-retroviral treatment.

"The fact that this child was able to remain off antiretroviral treatment for two years and maintain quiescent virus for that length of time is unprecedented," said Deborah Persaud, according to a news release. "Typically, when treatment is stopped, HIV levels rebound within weeks, not years."