Seroepidemiologic studies of cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus infections in relation to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection in selected recipient populations. Transfusion Safety Study Group

Abstract

Antibodies to human cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) were evaluated among 1,171 persons with and without antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (anti-HIV-1). These included 97 blood donors, 577 persons given blood components or products, and 497 controls. A significantly higher proportion of anti-HIV-1 positive than -negative donors were anti-CMV-positive, a finding associated with homosexual contact among some of the former. Among subjects with treated clotting disorders, there was no difference in prevalence of anti-CMV or anti-EBV between anti-HIV-1-positive and -negative persons. The prevalence of antibodies to EBV early antigens showed no relationship to anti-HIV-1 status. Anti-CMV positivity in anti-HIV-1-negative donors was associated with an increase in mean CD8 counts and lower mean CD4/CD8 ratio. Anti-CMV and anti-EBV positivity in anti-HIV-1-positive subjects with treated clotting disorders was not associated with a lower CD4 or higher CD8 count than HIV-1 infection alone. Subjects who developed AIDS after enrollment had no significant difference in median time from entry to diagnosis when analyzed by serologic evidence of CMV and EBV antibody status at entry, and a few subjects had AIDS at entry without serologic evidence of prior CMV or EBV infection. The overall results are consistent with acquisition and progression of HIV-1 independently of coincident CMV or EBV infection.