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Quantitation of antigen-specific immune responses in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals by limiting dilution analysis

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Abstract

The lymphocyte proliferative response to recall antigens is lost following HIV infection. We sought to devise a means by which the functional immune status of persons in the early stages of HIV infection could be monitored quantitatively. The response to tetanus toxoid was examined in 45 HIV-infected individuals and 11 controls using conventional lymphocyte proliferative assays concurrently with limiting dilution analysis utilizing the secretion of interleukin-2 as the measure of a response. Our data show that the limiting dilution analysis detects tetanus toxoid-reactive T cells in 80% of those tested, as compared to only 44% by proliferation. However, the frequency of tetanus-reactive T cells in HIV-infected individuals (median frequency = 1/59,156) is decrease five-fold as compared to seronegative controls (median frequency = 1/11,599). Longitudinal studies demonstrated a time-dependent decrease in the frequency of tetanus-specific T cell responses in the HIV-infected individuals. Thus, the limiting dilution analysis is a quantitative approach for detecting antigen-specific T cells in HIV-infected individuals, and may be used to monitor changes in T cell function in HIV infection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, The Ohio State University, 43210, Columbus, Ohio

    Steffanie Sabbaj, Michael F. Para, Robert J. Fass & Caroline C. Whitacre

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University, 43210, Columbus, Ohio

    Michael F. Para & Robert J. Fass

  3. Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University, 43210, Columbus, Ohio

    Patrick W. Adams & Charles G. Orosz

Authors
  1. Steffanie Sabbaj
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  2. Michael F. Para
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  3. Robert J. Fass
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  4. Patrick W. Adams
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  5. Charles G. Orosz
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  6. Caroline C. Whitacre
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Sabbaj, S., Para, M.F., Fass, R.J. et al. Quantitation of antigen-specific immune responses in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals by limiting dilution analysis. J Clin Immunol 12, 216–224 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00918092

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00918092

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