Immunological changes in primary HIV-1 infection.
Homosexual men with symptomatic primary HIV-1 infection displayed a pronounced lymphopaenia with significantly depressed numbers of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ cells and B cells during the first week of illness. Subsequently, the CD8+ cell counts rose in parallel with numbers of CD3+ cells, atypical lymphocytes and activated (CD38+ and HLA-Dr+) cells to attain maximal levels about a month following onset of illness. In contrast CD4+ and B cell numbers remained low for an extended period of time. Early signs of a host response included a transient appearance of interferon-alpha in the blood and raised levels of neopterin and beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-M). Neither CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio nor beta 2-M resumed completely normal values during a follow-up period of 2 years. These findings shed some light on pathogenetic events during early HIV-1 infection and suggest that the infection, following the acute symptomatic stage, usually enters a stage of chronic active rather than latent infection.
Gaines
H
H
Virological Department, Central Microbiological Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden.
von Sydow
M A
MA
von Stedingk
L V
LV
Biberfeld
G
G
Böttiger
B
B
Hansson
L O
LO
Lundbergh
P
P
Sönnerborg
A B
AB
Wasserman
J
J
Strannegåard
O O
OO
D000328:Adult; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D001708:Biopterins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000097:blood; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D019798:Neopterin; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin / Q000032:analysis
D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007370:Interferon Type I; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin; D001708:Biopterins; D019798:Neopterin