title: Correction of human immunodeficiency virus-associated depression of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) after zidovudine therapy: DTH, CD4+ T-cell numbers, and epidermal Langerhans cell density are independent variables.
abstract: Twenty-four patients with various degrees of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated immunodeficiency were treated with zidovudine for up to 6 months. Nineteen of these patients had persistent depression of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses prior to commencing therapy. In 11 of these 19 patients (58%) there was sustained improvement of DTH responses with the maximal effect occurring at approximately 3 months after therapy was started. DTH declined after 3 months but remained significantly higher than baseline at 6 months. Patients who did not have a sustained increase in DTH responses had more severe disease than those that did. Blood CD4+ T-cell counts increased in the majority of patients on zidovudine therapy, but varied independently of DTH responses. Epidermal Langerhans cell density was lower in HIV-infected patients than controls but also varied independently of DTH responses before and after zidovudine therapy. We suggest that sequential measurement of DTH responses is a valuable means of monitoring the restoration of cell-mediated immune responses by zidovudine in some HIV-infected patients. Our findings also demonstrate the need to define the processes involved in the restoration of DTH responses as this may lead to new approaches to the therapeutic manipulation of cell-mediated immune responses in HIV-infected patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology, Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: French
authors.forename: P U
authors.initials: PU
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grimsley
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Smyth
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Dawkins
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*; D001706:Biopsy; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D002452:Cell Count; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007801:Langerhans Cells / Q000166:cytology; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D015215:Zidovudine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens; D015215:Zidovudine