title: T cell subset profile in healthy Zambian adults at the University Teaching Hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Symptom-free human immunodeficiency virus antibody-negative Zambian adults (51 subjects, aged 20 to 62 years, 33.3% women and 66.7% men) were studied to establish T cell subset reference ranges.
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out across sectional study at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka. Blood samples were collected from healthy donor volunteers from hospital health care staff, between February and March 2015. Immunopheno typing was undertaken to characterize Tcell subsets using the markers CD3, CD4, CD8, α4β7, Ki67, CD25, CCR7, CD54RA, CD57, CD28, CD27 and HLA-DR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 51 volunteers, Women had significantly higher absolute CD4 count (median 1042; IQR 864, 1270) than in men (671; 545, 899) (p=0.003). Women also had more CD4 cells expressing homing, naïve, effector and effector memory T cell subsets compared to men. However, in the CD8 population, only the effector cells were significantly different with women expressing more than the males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We provide early reference range for T cell subsets in Zambian adults and conclude that among the African women some T cell subsets are higher than men.
authors.affiliation: Tropical Gastroenterology and Nutrition Group, University of Zambia School of Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: Caroline Cleopatra
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chisenga
authors.affiliation: Tropical Gastroenterology and Nutrition Group, University of Zambia School of Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia; Blizard Institute Barts and The London School of Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, 4 Newark Street, London E1 2AT, UK and TROPGAN Group Department of Internal Medicine University of Zambia School of Medicine Nationalist Road, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kelly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology*; D055815:Young Adult; D015024:Zambia
keywords: CD8 count; HIV-seronegative; T cells; absolute CD4