IMMUNOLOGICAL PROFILES OF HIV-INFECTED AND UNINFECTED COMMERCIAL SEX WORKERS IN THE VELLORE REGION OF SOUTHERN INDIA

Female commercial sex workers (CSW) play a major role in the transmiss ion of HIV infection in India. Their immunology has not been character ized. To determine HIV-related immunologic changes and establish basel ine data for CSW, blood cell counts and serum immunoglobulin levels of 35 HIV-positive, asymptomatic CSW; 37 HIV-negative CSW, and 35 age-ma tched, non-CSW, healthy women controls were compared. The CSW, irrespe ctive of their HIV status, had abnormalities that included high eosino phil, lymphocyte, and CD8 counts and low CD4:CD8 ratios. The only sign ificant difference between the HIV-positive and HIV-negative CSW was i n their neutrophil and CD8 counts (p < 0.05, ANOVA). Compared with nor mal controls, the CSW had significantly elevated serum IgG, IgA, and I gM levels; however, no significant difference was shown between CSW wh o tested positive for HIV and those who did not. These results suggest that the CSW of Vellore region in Southern India have hyperimmunoglob ulinemia irrespective of their HIV status and thus highlight the need to use appropriate controls when immunologic evaluation studies are do ne.