title: Elevated CD8+DR+ lymphocytes in HIV-exposed infants with early positive HIV cultures: a possible early marker of intrauterine transmission. Women and Infants Transmission Study Group.
abstract: The associations among timing of maternal-fetal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission, infant age at first positive HIV culture, and CD8+ lymphocyte activation were examined for 74 perinatally infected infants. Nineteen of the infected infants had positive HIV cultures at < or =7 days of life, and 55 had negative HIV cultures at < or =7 days but were positive later. Of the infants with early positive HIV-1 cultures, 15 of the 17 tested with DNA polymerase chain reaction methods had concordant results. The percentage of CD8+ and HLA-DR+ lymphocytes (CD8+DR+%) during the first week of life was significantly higher in infants with early compared with late positive cultures (median CD8+DR+% of 5.0% versus 2.0%, p = 0.0006). The CD8+DR+% was similar between uninfected infants and infants with late positive cultures during the first week of life (median 2%) but increased in infants with late positive cultures to 6% by 1 month. The CD4+% during the first 6 months of life was not different between infants with early or with late positive cultures, but infants with the highest CD8+DR+% at < or =7 days of life had significantly lower CD4+% at < or =7 days and at 1, 2, and 4 months of age. These data show that early CD8+ lymphocyte activation is associated with early positive HIV cultures and lower CD4+ percentages during early infancy and are consistent with the hypothesis that early positive cultures positivity may indicate in utero HIV infection.
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois of Chicago, 60612, USA.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Rich
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mofenson
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pitt
authors.forename: G V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Hillyer
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mendez
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens