Collection of Blood for Multiple Collaborative Studies

This study seeks to confidentially collect blood from HIV-positive individuals and HIV-negative controls to provide basic scientists with specimens for collaborative studies.

HIV positive patients are currently the focus of multiple collaborative research studies, both at UCSF and other institutions. The aims of these research projects include improving the understanding of etiology, immunology, epidemiology and treatment of HIV. There are numerous requests from basic scientists at UCSF for collaborative studies on specimens, especially for blood, saliva and urine samples. Specimens may be used to test such things as virus characteristics, genotyping and/or phenotyping resistance, plasma drug concentrations, immune function or evidence of complications of HIV disease. The samples may also be tested for genetic factors that may be related to the course of HIV disease

Subjects will be selected based on positive or negative HIV antibody, depending on the study for which blood is being collected. Patients will be chosen from the Positive Health Practice populations at SFGH and UCSF, the General Medicine Clinic at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. HIV uninfected healthy volunteers with comparable risk factors to the HIV positive subjects will be recruited from the community.

• HIV Positive
  HIV-1 positive subjects
• HIV negative subjects
  HIV-1 seronegative control group

Inclusion Criteria:

• HIV-1 antibody negative with similar characteristics to HIV-1 positive cohort
• HIV-positive subjects naive to antiretroviral therapy
• HIV-positive subjects stable on or off antiretroviral therapy for a minimum of 6 months
• Good venous access
• Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Hemoglobin < 9g/dl
• Hematocrit < 27%
• Active treatment for cancer
• Hospitalization or IV antibiotic use within the last 4 months
• Immunosuppressive therapy within the last 4 months