TY - JOUR
T1 - Early and persistent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)- specific T helper dysfunction in blood and lymph nodes following acute HIV-1 infection
AU - Musey, Luwy K.
AU - Krieger, John N.
AU - Hughes, James P.
AU - Schacker, Timothy W.
AU - Corey, Lawrence
AU - McElrath, M. Juliana
N1 - Funding Information:
Financial support: NIH (AI-45206, AI-027757, AI-41535, AI-35605, DK49477); IARTP fellowship (to L.K.M.).
PY - 1999
Y1 - 1999
N2 - Without potent antiretroviral therapy, most human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected persons experience a progressive decline in CD4+ T cells and impairment in T helper function. It is unclear how soon after infection T cell dysfunction occurs. T helper responses were examined in blood and lymphoid tissue of 39 untreated patients with acute HIV-1 infection. Within the first 3 months, lymphoproliferative responses to mitogen, recall antigens, and HIV-1 antigens were impaired. After 6-9 months, responses to phytohemagglutinin and recall antigens improved. However, HIV-1- specific lymphoproliferation remained largely undetectable throughout 2 years of infection, and results were similar upon evaluation of lymphoid cells. Rare patients with HIV-1-specific responses had significantly lower plasma HIV-1 RNA levels than did nonresponders. These results indicate that T helper dysfunction occurs early after HIV-1 acquisition and that untreated individuals rarely recover HIV-specific helper responses; these findings lend support for early therapeutic intervention to prevent the destruction and further impairment of the T helper cells.
AB - Without potent antiretroviral therapy, most human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected persons experience a progressive decline in CD4+ T cells and impairment in T helper function. It is unclear how soon after infection T cell dysfunction occurs. T helper responses were examined in blood and lymphoid tissue of 39 untreated patients with acute HIV-1 infection. Within the first 3 months, lymphoproliferative responses to mitogen, recall antigens, and HIV-1 antigens were impaired. After 6-9 months, responses to phytohemagglutinin and recall antigens improved. However, HIV-1- specific lymphoproliferation remained largely undetectable throughout 2 years of infection, and results were similar upon evaluation of lymphoid cells. Rare patients with HIV-1-specific responses had significantly lower plasma HIV-1 RNA levels than did nonresponders. These results indicate that T helper dysfunction occurs early after HIV-1 acquisition and that untreated individuals rarely recover HIV-specific helper responses; these findings lend support for early therapeutic intervention to prevent the destruction and further impairment of the T helper cells.
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U2 - 10.1086/314868
DO - 10.1086/314868
M3 - Article
C2 - 10395840
AN - SCOPUS:0033509509
SN - 0022-1899
VL - 180
SP - 278
EP - 284
JO - Journal of Infectious Diseases
JF - Journal of Infectious Diseases
IS - 2
ER -