Quantitative Analysis of the Antiviral Activity of CD8 + T Cells from Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Asymptomatic Patients with Different Rates of CD4 + T-Cell Decrease

Abstract

We have measured in 22 asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected patients (10 rapid progressors and 12 slow progressors) the proviral load of CD4 + T cells homogeneously superinfected by the same dose of a non-syncytium-inducing virus in the presence or in the absence of autologous CD8 + T cells. We demonstrated that the antiviral activity of CD8 + T cells was highly predictive of the rate of peripheral CD4 + T-cell decline.