Africa and the Biology of Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Excerpt

The routine study of biologic variables used for monitoring the "competence" of the immune system has expanded in recent years, partially due to the expansion and monitoring of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. Many hospital and commercial laboratories now commonly provide T-lymphocyte subset analyses, and the placement of intradermal antigens for delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) testing is no longer reserved for a panel of control antigens in tuberculin skin testing or for the rare preoperative immune evaluation. Even prior to this expansion, studies in cohorts of gay men^1,2 and intravenous drug abusers,^3,4 two high-risk groups for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, have shown that certain immunologic alterations may be present in these individuals without prior exposure to HIV. It has been proposed that these alterations may be due to previous or repeated exposures to other infectious agents and may influence the infectivity or the pathogenic potential of HIV