Dynamics of HIV viral load in blood and semen of patients under HAART: impact of therapy in assisted reproduction procedures.

We examined the efficacy and effect of HAART in HIV-1-infected men confronted with assisted fertilization procedures. We showed that HAART did not always reduce the HIV-1-RNA level in blood and semen compartments, and that a significant upward shift in mitochondrial DNA was observed in spermatozoa from a HAART-treated patient group compared with spermatozoa from HAART-untreated or HIV-1-uninfected groups (P < 0.001). These findings emphasize the negative role of HAART, but not of HIV-1 infection, in determining semen alterations.