COMPLEMENT ACTIVATION AND IMMUNE-COMPLEXES IN EARLY CONGENITAL HIV-INFECTION

Previous reports from our laboratory have shown that complement activa tion and the presence of circulating immune complexes are features of congenital human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection as they are in HIV-infected adults. The studies reported here were undertaken to (a) define whether complement activation is congenitally infected infants and children involves classic, alternative, or both pathways; (b) inv estigate the relationship between complement activation and circulatin g immune complexes; and (c) determine how early in congenital HIV infe ction complement activation and immune complexes can be found. We repo rt that classic complement pathway activation and Clq-binding immune c omplexes can be found within the first 4 months of congenital HIV infe ction. However, the association between classic pathway activation and immune complexes before age 10 months was weak. These data raise inte resting questions about complement-mediated immune complex processing in HIV-infected infants and young children.