title: Correlation of subclinical candidal colonization of the dorsal tongue surface with the Walter Reed staging scheme for patients infected with HIV-1.
abstract: The correlation between subclinical candidal colonization of the dorsal tongue surface and the Walter Reed staging scheme for patients positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) antibody is reported. Of 76 cytologic smears of the dorsal tongue surface, 12 (16.2%) demonstrated subclinical colonization. The mean peripheral helper T-lymphocyte count for patients with subclinical colonization was 304 +/- 226 cells/mm3 and was not significantly different from seropositive patients without colonization (411 +/- 209 cells/mm3). The Walter Reed scheme for assessing progressive immunodysregulation did not significantly correlate with the presence of subclinical colonization. This study suggests a more complex pathogenesis for oral candidiasis in HIV-1-infected patients rather than a direct link to peripheral helper T-lymphocyte depletion below a count of 400 cells/mm3.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Army Dentac, Fort Gordon, Ga.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Scheidt
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: McQuade
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Van Dyke
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Plowman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002175:Candida / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002180:Candidiasis, Oral / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D008297:Male; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer; D014059:Tongue / Q000382:microbiology