BIC/FTC/TAF Benefits People Living With HIV After Omicron Breakthrough Infection in Shortening Duration of Symptoms, Enhancing Specific Immune Response and Increasing Total CD4 Cells

Abstract

The clinical manifestations of variability in PLWH with SARS-CoV-2 acquired may be attributed to the use of ART drugs. Omicron breakthrough infection and reinfection in 27 PLWH treated with BIC/FTC/TAF and 51 PLWH treated with TDF/3TC/EFV were investigated, and humoral and cellular immunity after Omicron breakthrough infection were also compared. The results showed that Omicron breakthrough infection symptoms in BIC/FTC/TAF-treated had a shorter duration, and BIC/FTC/TAF could further reduce the duration of symptoms when re-infected. It was also found that the BA.5 specific IgG titers of BIC/FTC/TAF-treated were significantly increased and increased with the extension of the duration of BIC/FTC/TAF. In cellular immunity, the use of BIC/FTC/TAF was also found to increase not only BA.5-specific B lymphocytes and BA.5-specific CD4⁺T lymphocytes, but also total CD4⁺T cells. In conclusion, compared to TDF/3TC/EFV, BIC/FTC/TAF can help PLWH shorten the duration of COVID⁻19 symptoms, enhance SARS-CoV-2 specific humoral and cellular immune responses, help to expand the total CD4⁺T cells increase in PLWH after Omicron infection and may be more beneficial for PLWH with high risk of infection in the context of COVID-19 normalization.