LYMPHOCYTE PHENOTYPING IN INFANTS - MATURATION OF LYMPHOCYTE SUBPOPULATIONS AND THE EFFECTS OF HIV-INFECTION

Changes in the distribution of lymphocyte subpopulations in infants wi th perinatally acquired HIV infection are confounded by the rapid chan ges that are the result of normal maturation of the immune system. We describe the changes in seven lymphocyte phenotypes (CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8 +, CD8+HLA-DR+, CD8+CD38+, CD8+CD57+, CD3-CD16+56+, and CD19+) over th e first 2 years of life in 390 HIV-1 exposed but uninfected and 98 HIV -1-infected infants enrolled in the Women and Infants Transmission Stu dy. The greatest changes in uninfected infants were declines in the CD 3+CD4+ lymphocytes and increases in CD8+HLA-DR+ and CD19+ lymphocytes. All phenotypes were affected by HIV infection but the greatest change 's were declines in the CD3+CD4+ subset and increases in the CD3+CD8and CD8+HLA-DR+ subsets. Thus, this study provides reference data for the maturational changes in lymphocyte phenotypes in HIV-exposed but u ninfected infants and describes the overall changes that occur with pe rinatally acquired HIV infection. (C) 1997 Academic Press.