title: Striking inverse association of IgG-anti-Fab gamma antibodies and CD4 cell counts in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)/AIDS-related complex.
abstract: The contribution of autoimmune phenomena to the pathogenesis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is poorly understood. We investigated the relationship between IgG-anti-Fab gamma autoantibodies and the main immunologic feature of AIDS, the decrease of CD4+ helper lymphocytes. Sera of 33 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected (HIV+) hemophilia patients with AIDS/AIDS-related complex (ARC), 57 HIV+ patients without AIDS/ARC, 23 HIV-negative (HIV-) patients, and 76 healthy controls were tested for antibody activity against the Fab region of IgG. Patients with AIDS/ARC had significantly higher IgG-anti-Fab gamma activity than HIV+ patients without AIDS/ARC, HIV- patients, or controls (P less than .0001). A striking inverse association was found between IgG-anti-Fab gamma and CD4+ cell counts (r = -.69; P less than 10(-6)). Sequential testing in 16 AIDS/ARC patients showed that an increase in the IgG-anti-Fab gamma activity was invariably accompanied by a decrease in the CD4+ cell count. IgG-anti-Fab gamma antibodies may play an important role in the immunopathogenesis of AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Transplantation Immunology, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Süsal
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Oberg
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Terness
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Huth-Kühne
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Opelz
mesh_terms: D000386:AIDS-Related Complex / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000097:blood; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments / Q000276:immunology*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments; D007074:Immunoglobulin G