Acyclovir and Transmission of HIV-1 from Persons Infected with HIV-1 and HSV-2.
–Daily acyclovir therapy did not reduce the risk of transmission of HIV-1, despite a reduction in plasma HIV-1 RNA of 0.25 log10 copies per milliliter and a 73% reduction in the occurrence of genital ulcers due to HSV-2.
Im sure you all can figure out from that one sentence in that abstract why this is disappointing, but let me give you the back story.
Way back in the 1990s, scientists noticed that HIV-1 and HSV-2 were able to form this awful, unholy alliance. Proteins made by HSV-2 could increase transcription of HIV-1 (you make more HIV-1 viruses). Even if you arent showing any HSV symptoms (you have HSV but dont get outbreaks), if you are also infected with HIV-1, you have more HIV-1 viruses in your blood and genitals.
More viruses, better your odds for transmitting to someone else.
If you do have outbreaks, open sores… well, that pops up your risks for transmitting HIV-1 even higher.
Happily, a drug we use to treat herpes has been around for a million years, acyclovir. It works great, its super cheap, AND, in people who are infected with HIV-1 too? They have lower HIV-1 viral loads than dual infected people who arent on acyclovir!
Lower viral loads, fewer outbreaks, lower your chances of transmitting HIV-1 to your partner, right?
Eh. Wrong, at least according to this paper.
Even though patients taking acyclovir only (no antiretrovirals) had lower HIV-1 titers and fewer HSV-2 outbreaks, they still transmitted to their partners at the same rate as patients who got placebo instead of acyclovir.
So I repeat: Well crap.
This could have been a pretty easy/cheap way to stop a few new HIV-1 infections.