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Antibodies to human T‐cell lymphotropic virus type III in promiscuous healthy homosexual men. Relation to immunological and clinical findings
Author(s) -
GERSTOFT J.,
LINDHARDT B. ØRSKOV,
PETERSEN C. S.,
KROON S.,
ULLMAN S.,
MØLLER S.,
NIELSEN J. OLE,
DICKMEISS E.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
european journal of clinical investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.164
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1365-2362
pISSN - 0014-2972
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2362.1985.tb00187.x
Subject(s) - immunology , human t lymphotropic virus , antibody , cytotoxic t cell , virology , immunosuppression , asymptomatic , cytomegalovirus , t cell , virus , t lymphocyte , medicine , biology , immune system , viral disease , herpesviridae , psychiatry , myelopathy , spinal cord , in vitro , biochemistry
. Antibodies to human T‐cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV‐III Ab) were present in twenty‐one out of sixty‐four asymptomatic promiscuous homosexual men from Copenhagen. The presence of HTLV‐III Ab was associated with lymphadenopathy ( P <0·0005), cytomegalovirus isolation ( P <0·01), low skin test reactivity ( P <0·01) and episodes of fever within the 2 month period prior to investigation ( P <0·05). No significant differences occurred in the total number of T‐cells, T‐suppressor cytotoxic cells, T‐helper cells or helper to suppressor ratio (H/S ratio) between HTLV‐III Ab positive and negative homosexuals. An H/S ratio ≤1·0 was significantly more frequent in homosexual men who both had HTLV‐III Ab and excreted cytomegalovirus ( P <0·01). The H/S ratio of HTLV‐III negative homosexuals were significantly lower than that of the controls suggesting that a non‐HTLV‐III related immunosuppression occurs among homosexuals. Within 2 years after the investigation AIDS or the AIDS related complex developed in three of the men, who at the first investigation all had HTLV‐III Ab, alterations in T‐lymphocyte subsets and cutaneous anergy. It is suggested that a combination of T‐cell subset determination and determination of HTLV‐III Ab may provide more valuable prognostic information than isolated determintion of HTLV‐III Ab.