Immune complexes in pediatric human immunodeficiency virus infection.
Circulating immune complexes (CIC) were analyzed in a cohort of 30 children infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Elevated CIC were detected by the C1q assay in 70% (21/30) of all patients and by the Raji cell assay in 93% (28/30) of all patients. While only less than one third of patients with elevated CIC had free serum antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus, 80% (16/20) of them had detectable antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus associated with CIC. Enriched CIC in human immunodeficiency virus-infected children contained low levels of complement. These findings document that, as an expression of the humoral immunodeficiency, CIC in human immunodeficiency virus-infected children are deficient in complement and can thus be underestimated if complement-precipitating methods are used for their detection.
Ellaurie
M
M
Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461.
Calvelli
T
T
Rubinstein
A
A
D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015922:Complement C1q / Q000032:analysis; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015531:Radioimmunoprecipitation Assay; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000276:immunology
D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D015922:Complement C1q