title: Lymphocyte shedding from genital tract of human immunodeficiency virus-infected women: immunophenotypic and clinical correlates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our purpose was to describe the lymphocyte subpopulations in genital tract samples from human immunodeficiency virus-infected women and the clinical correlates associated with lymphocyte shedding.
  
  
  METHODS
  Genital tract samples of women infected with human immunodeficiency virus-1 were processed for immunophenotyping analysis with a FACScan flow cytometer. Immunologic and virologic characteristics of women with and without lymphocyte shedding were compared with t test, Wilcoxon rank test, or Fisher's exact test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of genital lymphocyte shedding among human immunodeficiency virus-1-infected women was 39%. Genital shedding was not related to age, race, use of antiretroviral therapy, or positive human immunodeficiency virus-1 culture. A negative rank correlation (r = -0.71, p = 0.047) between CD3+ CD4+ counts in peripheral blood and genital tract was observed. The majority of the lymphocyte cells were CD3+ CD8+, and > 80% of the CD3+ CD4+ cells were memory cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The immune profile of the genital tract lymphocytes is suggestive of a local mucosal immune response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Medicine and Dentistry-New Jersey Medical School, Newark 07103, USA.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Bardeguez
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Skurnick
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Colon
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kloser
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Denny
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002582:Cervix Mucus / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D014621:Vagina / Q000276:immunology*