To investigate the relationship between peripheral blood T-cell subsets and both CD4+T-cell percentage and viral load (VL) in HIV-1-infected children.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the relationship between peripheral blood T-cell subsets and both CD4+ T-cell percentage and viral load (VL) in HIV-1-infected children. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We studied 50 HIV-1-infected children on antiretroviral therapy. T-cell subsets were determined by flow cytometry. The VL was quantified using standardized molecular methods. RESULTS: Memory (CD45RO+), activated memory (CD45RO+HLA-DR+) and CD45RA-CD62L+ (memory cells expressing L-selectin) CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells correlated positively with the VL and negatively with the percentage of CD4+ T-cells. Inversely, naive CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells (CD45RA+CD62L+) correlated positively with the percentage of CD+ T-cells and negatively with the VL. HLA-DR+, CD38+ or HLA-DR+CD38+CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells correlated also positively with the VL and negatively with the percentage of CD4+ T-cells (with the exception of CD4+CD38+ which did not show any association with the VL). CD8+CD28+ T-cells correlated positively with the percentage of CD4+ T-cells and negatively with the VL, whereas CD8+ CD57+ and CD8+CD28-CD57+ exhibited an opposite association. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest a relationship between the different lymphocyte subsets (memory, naive, activated and effector T-cells) and the most commonly used markers in clinical practice, namely the vital load and the CD4+ T-cell percentage. Some of these subsets may be useful to determine the virologic and immunologic status in HIV-1-infected children.