Intestinal integrity biomarkers in early antiretroviral-Treated perinatally HIV-1–Infected infants

Intestinal fatty acid binding protein (iFABP) levels did not differ between human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)–infected infants and uninfected infants exposed to HIV-1, but those who Breastfed had substantially lower levels. Zonulin levels increased from 3 to 5.3 months of age with perinatal acquisition of HIV-1 despite early antiretroviral treatment. Biomarkers of intestinal integrity (ie, iFABP and zonulin) were compared in 56 HIV-1–positive African infants who received early antiretroviral treatment and 53 HIV-1–exposed but uninfected (HEU) controls. Despite heightened inflammation and immune activation in HIV-positive infants, iFABP and zonulin levels at 3 months of age were not different from those in HEU infants and largely were not correlated with inflammatory and immune activation biomarkers. However, zonulin levels increased and became significantly higher in HIV-positive infants as compared to HEU infants by 5 months of age, despite viral suppression due to antiretroviral treatment. These findings have implications for intestinal integrity biomarker profiling in perinatal HIV-1 infection.