Neutralizing and complement-dependent enhancing antibodies in different stages of HIV infection.
Reclustering and indirect immunofluorescence assays on MT-4 cells [carrying both CD4 and complement receptor type 2 (CR2)] were used to measure neutralizing and enhancing antibodies in sera obtained from HIV-1-infected individuals. Heat-inactivated sera were tested before and after mixing 1:1 with fresh seronegative human serum. Using heated samples, neutralizing antibodies were found in 20 out of 20 and 11 out of 19 serum samples of asymptomatic and symptomatic [AIDS, AIDS-related complex (ARC)] HIV-seropositive patients, respectively. In complement-restored samples, neutralizing activity was found in eight sera of asymptomatic patients and in none of the sera of AIDS and ARC patients; enhancing activity could be detected in four and 12 sera, respectively. A significant positive correlation was observed between the titres of neutralizing antibodies measured in the complement-restored samples and the absolute number of CD4+ lymphocytes. These findings indicate that the appearance of complement-dependent enhancing antibodies coincident with the loss of neutralizing antibodies may indicate a poor prognosis in HIV infection.
Institute of Microbiology, University Medical School, Debrecen, Hungary.
F D
FD
Tóth
B
B
Szabó
E
E
Ujhelyi
K
K
Pálóczi
A
A
Horváth
G
G
Füst
J
J
Kiss
D
D
Bánhegyi
S R
SR
Hollán
D000386:AIDS-Related Complex / Q000276:immunology; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D011951:Receptors, Complement / Q000276:immunology; D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000473:pathology
D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D011951:Receptors, Complement; D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d; D003165:Complement System Proteins