IMMUNOLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES IN THE ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1987. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

IMMUNOLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES IN THE ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME

Serono Symp Publ Raven Press; 28:269-80 1986. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICDB/87630117
Margolick JB; Bowen DL; Lane HC; Fauci AS; Lab. of Immunoregulation, National Inst. of Allergy and; Infectious Disease, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20205

Abstract: The cellular immune system (ie, T cell function) constitutes the function that is primarily affected in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), but functional abnormalities of B cells, mononuclear phagocytes, and natural killer cells also have been described. The immunological abnormalities in AIDS are discussed in this article under the following headings: quantitative abnormalities of T cells, functional abnormalities of T cells, B cell abnormalities in AIDS, abnormalities of mononuclear phagocyte function in AIDS, circulating suppressor factors in AIDS, other serologic abnormalities in AIDS, and the AIDS retrovirus and the immunopathogenesis of AIDS. It was concluded that although much has been learned about immunologic defects in AIDS and about the biology of the causative agent (human T lymphotropic virus type III/lymphadenopathy virus, HTLV-III/LAV), the mechanisms responsible for clinical infection with the virus and for host resistance to the virus remain unknown. In addition, the mechanism for the preferential depletion of the antigen-specific subset of T4 cells in AIDS patients has not been fully determined. One hypothesis is that activated T4+ cells are more susceptible to infection with HTLV-III/LAV than are resting T4+ cells, as appears to be the case with HTLV-I. If this is the case, repeated antigenic exposure, for example by infections or transfusions with blood or blood products, could result in propagation and maintenance of HTLV-III/LAV infection and, thus, more rapid and extensive T4+ cell depletion. (53 Refs)

Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*IMMUNOLOGY Antibody Formation B-Lymphocytes/IMMUNOLOGY Human HIV/PATHOGENICITY Leukocyte Count Lymphocyte Transformation Phagocytes/IMMUNOLOGY Suppressor Factors, Immunologic/BLOOD T-Lymphocytes/IMMUNOLOGY T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer/IMMUNOLOGY T-Lymphocytes, Suppressor-Effector/IMMUNOLOGY MEETING PAPER

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