Increased turnover of CCR5(+) and redistribution of CCR5(-) CD4 T lymphocytes during primary human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection

CCR5 is the major coreceptor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 during primary infection. CCR5(+) CD4 T lymphocytes were studied in subject s with primary HIV-1 infection (PHI) or acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infe ction and in HIV-uninfected controls. The early decline of CD4 T lymphocyte s during PHI resulted from depletion of CCR5(-) CD4 T lymphocytes. After an tiretroviral therapy, Ki-67(-) CCR5(-) CD4 T cell counts rapidly increased in the circulation, which suggests that the initial decrease was due to an alteration in trafficking and/or sequestration. In the CCR5(+) subset of CD 4 T cells, there was an elevation in the proliferative (Ki-67(+)) fraction during PHI, yet their total number remained in the normal range. In contras t, in acute EBV infection, proliferating CCR5(+) CD4 T cells accumulated to very high levels, suggesting they have an important role in the early anti viral response, which may be impaired in HIV-1 infection.