Peripheral gamma delta T-cell populations in HIV-infected individuals with mycobacterial infection.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Peripheral gamma delta T-cell populations in HIV-infected individuals with mycobacterial infection.

Cytometry. 1995 Sep 15;22(3):211-6. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/96106604
Ruiz P; Geraldino N; Department of Pathology, University of Miami School of Medicine,; Florida.

Abstract: Previous studies have suggested that gamma delta T cells can be increased in HIV-1-seropositive individuals, although characterization of gamma delta T cell subtypes and correlation with clinical status of these patients have not been performed. We investigated groups of HIV-seropositive persons to determine the prevalence of elevated levels of gamma delta T cells and whether any gamma delta T cell subtypes were preferentially expressed. Since a large proportion of human gamma delta T cells appear to be reactive to proteins encoded by mycobacteria, we also examined our patients for the incidence of mycobacterial infection. Our results show that a significant number of HIV-positive patients have an elevated number of gamma delta T cells in their peripheral blood as compared to normal controls. HIV-seropositive patients with clinical or laboratory evidence of mycobacterial infection had statistically significant increases in the percentage and total numbers of gamma delta T cells over the HIV-positive persons without mycobacterial infection. An examination of the subtypes of gamma delta T cells revealed that certain subtypes such as V gamma 9+ and V delta 2+ T cells were preferentially elevated in the mycobacteria-positive patients. These results suggest that an increased number of gamma delta T cells in HIV-positive patients is most often seen in the setting of an opportunistic mycobacterial infection and that specific gamma delta T cell subtypes are stimulated under these conditions. The role of these increased number of gamma delta T cells in HIV-associated disease is unclear but is likely a component of the response and degree of host resistance to this organism.

Keywords: Adult AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/COMPLICATIONS/*IMMUNOLOGY Female Flow Cytometry Human HIV Seropositivity/COMPLICATIONS/*IMMUNOLOGY Male Mycobacterium Infections/COMPLICATIONS/*IMMUNOLOGY/MICROBIOLOGY Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta/*IMMUNOLOGY T-Lymphocyte Subsets/*IMMUNOLOGY JOURNAL ARTICLE
960530
M9651007

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