title: Proliferative responses to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) antigens in HIV-1-infected patients with immune reconstitution.
abstract: Cell-mediated immunity is affected early in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. HIV-1-specific CD4+ T cell proliferative responses are not measurable in most patients but have been reported in long-term nonprogressors and in patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) during primary infection. However, treatment with HAART generally does not restore HIV-1-specific CD4+ T cell responses in chronically infected patients. In this study, HIV-1-specific CD4+ T cell responses in 10 HIV-1-infected patients who began HAART with low CD4 cell count nadirs and experienced significant immune reconstitution were studied. Surprisingly, 5 of these patients had proliferative responses to > or =1 HIV-1 gene product, compared with 0 of 8 chronically infected patients who started HAART when their CD4 cell counts were still relatively high. These results suggest that, in some patients with advanced HIV-1 infection, treatment with HAART can lead not only to significant increases in CD4 cell counts but also to the restoration of HIV-1-specific responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Blankson
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Gallant
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Siliciano
mesh_terms: D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000276:immunology; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D020276:HIV Long-Term Survivors; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015488:HIV Antigens; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid