Distribution of naive and memory/effector CD4 + T lymphocytes and expression of CD38 on CD8 + T lymphocytes in AIDS patients with tuberculosis

Abstract

CD(4)(+) and CD(8)(+) T lymphocyte counts, naive and memory/effector CD(4)(+) T subpopulations, and the expression of CD(38) on CD(8)(+) T lymphocytes were evaluated in four groups: AIDS patients with tuberculosis (HIV/TB, n=14), HIV-1 infected patients (HIV, n=10), HIV-1 negative patients with tuberculosis (TB, n=20) and healthy controls (CTL, n=17). TB and HIV had fewer +CD(4)(+) T cells than CTL, with the lowest values observed in TB/HIV (p<0.001). No difference between groups was observed in the percentage of naive and memory/effector subpopulations in +CD(4)(+) T lymphocytes. TB (355 cells/ micro L) and HIV (517 cells/ micro L) had diverging effects on +CD(8)(+) T cell counts, with a marked depletion observed in HIV/TB (196 cells/ micro L). TB and HIV up-regulated CD(38) expression on CD(8)(+) T cells, a finding also present in TB/HIV. While the decrease of +CD(4)(+) T cell counts in HIV/TB may be attributed to HIV and tuberculosis, the decrease of +CD(8)(+) T cell counts is likely to be due to tuberculosis.