Decline of CD3-positive T-cell counts by 6 months of age is associated with rapid disease progression in HIV-1–infected infants

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Javier Chinen, Baylor College of Medicine; Kirk Easley, Emory University; Herman Mendex, State University of New York–Brooklyn; William T. Shearer, Baylor College of Medicine
• Language: English
• Date: 2001-08-01
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2001 Mosby, Inc.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): https://dx.doi.org/10.1067%2Fmai.2001.116573
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
• ISSN: 0091-6749
• Volume: 108
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 265
• End Page: 268
• Grant/Funding Information: Supported in part by National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Grants N01-HR-96037, N01-HR-96038, N01-HR-96039, N01-HR-96040, N01-HR-96041, N01-HR, 96042 and N01-HR-96043; by National Institutes of Health General Clinical Research Center Grants RR-00071, RR-00188, RR-00533, RR-00643, RR-00645, RR-00865 and RR-02172; and by the Texas Children’s Hospital Immunology Research Fund.
• Keywords: HIV-1; infants; rapid disease progression; AIDS; CD3-positive T-cell counts; Pediatrics
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Immunology; Health Sciences, Epidemiology

Abstract

Because HIV-1 infected infants with rapid progression (RP) of disease might benefit from early and intense antiretroviral therapy, the identification of predictive factors of RP becomes extremely important. Currently, the best predictive factors of RP in HIV-1 infected children are HIV-1 RNA levels and CD4-positive T-cell counts. A decrease in CD3-positive T-cell count has been identified as a predictive factor of AIDS development in HIV-1 infected adults. Our objective was to evaluate decreased number of CD3-positive T-cells as a predictive factor of RP in infants. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from HIV-1 infected infants (up to 6 months of age) were analyzed for an association of lymphocyte subsets with RP, which was defined as the occurrence of AIDS or death before 18 months of age. In infants with RP (n = 32), CD3-positive T-cell counts were 3093 cells/μL at <1 month of age, 3092 cells/μL at 1 to 3 months, and 2062 cells/μL at 3 to 6 months. Non-RP infants (n = 49) maintained their CD3-positive T-cells counts at approximately 4000 cells/μL for at least 6 months of life. CD3-positive and CD4-positive T-cell counts were significantly associated with RP. Our results suggest that a decreased CD3-positive T-cell count may be used to predict RP in HIV-1 infected infants (RR = 2.16, P = .001).