RECOGNITION OF ANTIGENIC CLUSTERS OF CANDIDA-ALBICANS BY T-LYMPHOCYTES FROM HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS-INFECTED PERSONS

The fine specificity of the cellular immune response to Candida albica ns (i.e., recognition of different antigenic components) between norma l controls and human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients in vario us stages of disease was compared. C. albicans-specific T cells, enric hed by antigen stimulation and interleukin-2 expansion, were challenge d with antigenic fractions of different molecular weight obtained by S DS-gel fractionation of C. albicans extracts in the presence of autolo gous mononuclear cells as antigen-presenting cells. Proliferative resp onses showed similar patterns of reactivity between controls and categ ory A and B seropositive subjects. Category C patients with concurrent C. albicans infections did not give rise to C. albicans-specific T ce ll lines, confirming the T cell defect. Patients without clinically ev ident C. albicans infection had a low but broad reactivity pattern of C. albicans-specific T cells. These results suggest that depletion of C. albicans-specific T cells, independent of their fine specificity, o ccurs along with disease progression.