Rungruengthanakit K, Duerr A, Suriyanon V, Flowers L, Nagachinta T, Tansuhaj A, Kunangern D, de Boer M, Nelson KE; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 1996 Jul 7-12; 11: 13 (abstract no. Mo.A.401).

Research Institute for Health Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Fax: 66 53 221849.

Objective: To investigate immunologic parameters associated with lack of sexual transmission of HIV to women despite repeated exposure to a single HIV-infected (HIV+) partner. Methods: Highly exposed persistently seronegative (HEPS) women were selected from an ongoing study of HIV transmission from HIV-infected (HIV+) male blood donors to their wives (N=502 couples). High exposure was defined by unprotected sexual activity with a documented HIV+ partner for greater than two years (median documented exposure: 3.2 years; range 2.1 to 4.1 yrs). (Note, condom users, who were rare, were excluded.) Immune parameters of 14 HEPS participants were compared to those of 59 seronegative women with short term or indeterminate exposure, the subset of 22 seronegative participants with short-term (less than 2 years) exposure, and a published reference Thai population (N=210). NK cells were identified by immunophenotyping using Leu-4, Leu-11c and Leu-19PE monoclonal antibodies as CD3-, CD16+,CD56+. Results: HEPS participants did not differ from other seronegative participants with respect to WBC count, total lymphocyte count, CD4/CD8 ratio, CD4%, CD8%, CD4 count, or CD8 count. However, they had higher mean NK cell percent (24.5%) than either the seronegative study women with short or indeterminate exposure (18.4%,P=0.01), those with short term exposure (19.0%, P=0.04), or the reference population (19%). Mean NK cell count among HEPS participants (659) was higher than that among seronegative study women with short or indeterminate exposure (494, P=0.04), those with short term exposure (537, P=0.21), or the reference population (452). Conclusions: These preliminary observations raise the possibility that natural killer cells play a role in resistance to HIV infection among women with repeated exposure to a single HIV+ partner.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Asian Continental Ancestry Group
• CD4 Lymphocyte Count
• Female
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• Humans
• Killer Cells, Natural
• Lymphocyte Count
• Male
• Sexual Behavior

Other ID:

• 96920863

UI: 102216762

From Meeting Abstracts