Lymphocyte shedding from genital tract of human immunodeficiency virus-infected women: immunophenotypic and clinical correlates.
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.
Bardeguez
A D
AD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Medicine and Dentistry-New Jersey Medical School, Newark 07103, USA.
Skurnick
J H
JH
Perez
G
G
Colon
J M
JM
Kloser
P
P
Denny
T N
TN
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*