Primary HIV infection of infants: the effects of somatic growth on lymphocyte and virus dynamics [see comments] NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

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Primary HIV infection of infants: the effects of somatic growth on lymphocyte and virus dynamics [see comments]

Clin Immunol. 1999 Jul;92(1):25-33. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/99343948
Krogstad P; Uittenbogaart CH; Dickover R; Bryson YJ; Plaeger S; Garfinkel A; Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California,; Los Angeles, California 90095-5217, USA.

Abstract: Acute HIV infection is characterized by the appearance of high concentrations of virus in the peripheral blood. In adults, this high-level viremia spontaneously abates after several weeks. In contrast, after perinatal infection of infants, blood virus levels remain high for many months, during which the concentration of circulating CD4+ lymphocytes remains well above normal values for adults. Here we suggest an explanation for these differences, based on developmental factors including somatic growth and immunological ontogeny. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that at birth the thymus contains elevated levels of mature T lymphocytes, compared to the thymus after 3 months of age. A mathematical model is proposed incorporating immunological and virological data from longitudinally evaluated infants who acquired infection at the time of birth. This model explains the pattern of high-level viremia in infants as resulting from the replication of HIV within the progressively expanding lymphoid cell mass. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.
Keywords: JOURNAL ARTICLE Adult CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/CYTOLOGY/VIROLOGY Disease Transmission, Vertical Human HIV Infections/BLOOD/*IMMUNOLOGY/TRANSMISSION Infant Infant, Newborn Lymphocyte Count Lymphocytes/VIROLOGY Models, Immunological Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. Viral Load Viremia/IMMUNOLOGY Virus ReplicationKWDjournalarticleadultcd4-positivet-lymphocytes/cytology/virologydiseasetransmission,verticalhumanhivinfections/blood/KWDimmunology/transmissioninfantinfant,newbornlymphocytecountlymphocytes/virologymodels,immunologicalsupport,uKWDsKWDgov't,pKWDhKWDsKWDviralloadviremia/immunologyvirusreplication
Comment in: Clin Immunol 1999 Jul;92(1):3-5
991030
A99A0905

Copyright © 1999 - National Library of Medicine. Reproduced under license with the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

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