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Low CD4+ T cell nadir is an independent predictor of lower HIV-specific immune responses in chronically HIV-1-infected subjects receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Siddique MA, Hartman KE, Dragileva E, Dondero M, Gebretsadik T, Shintani A, Peiperl L, Valentine F, Kalams SA

Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Unit, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.

The influence of CD4(+) T cell nadirs on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-specific immune responses in subjects with apparently normal CD4(+) T cell counts is not known. We evaluated the frequency of HIV-1-specific immune responses in a cohort of patients with complete viral suppression (HIV-1 RNA load, <50 copies/mL) who were receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy and had a wide range of CD4(+) T cell nadirs. We found positive associations between CD4(+) T cell nadirs and the magnitude of HIV-specific CD8(+) T cell responses (P=.02) and of T cell helper responses (P=.04). These data show the CD4(+) T cell nadir to be an independent predictor of HIV-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell responses in HIV-1-infected subjects with optimal suppression of viremia.

Published 9 August 2006 in J Infect Dis, 194(5): 661-5.
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