BACKGROUND The clinical correlations and significance of subnormal CD4 levels in HIV-negative patients with TB are unclear. We have determined CD4 cell levels longitudinally during anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT) in patients, with and without HIV co-infection, and their associations with clinical variables. METHOD Adults diagnosed with TB (maximum duration of ATT for 2 weeks, and with no hi...

The rates of immunologic and clinical progression are lower in patients with drug-resistant HIV compared to wild-type HIV. This difference is not fully explained by viral load. It has been argued that reductions in T cell activation and/or viral fitness might result in preserved target cells and an altered relationship between the level of viremia and the rate of CD4+ T cell loss. We tested thi...

BACKGROUND Recommendations that nevirapine (NVP) should be avoided in female individuals with CD4 cell counts >250 cells/microL and in male individuals with CD4 cell counts >400 cells/microL are based on findings in treatment-naive patients. It is unclear whether these guidelines also apply to treatment-experienced patients switching to NVP-based combination therapy. METHODS Patients in the A...

The CD4+ T lymphocytes are the crucial cells in the cascade of events in forming immune response to the foreign antigen and hence monitoring the CD4+ T cell counts to understand the extent of immune deficiency is a common practice. CD4+ T cells are also the primary target cells for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Hence CD4+ T lymphocyte count is the most important marker of immune dysfuncti...

We report the case of a Gabonese HIV-patient who presented with haemoptysis, weight loss, fulminant diarrhoea and subsequent ileus and elevated CD4+ T-cell counts. He was diagnosed with Strongyloides stercoralis and human T-lymphotrophic virus type-1 infection. After treatment of the strongyloides hyperinfection syndrome, his CD4+ T-cell counts dropped greatly. The initially elevated CD4+ T-cel...

A retrospective study was conducted to assess the effects of various degrees of virologic rebound on CD4 cell counts over time in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. We found that (1) the higher the degree of virologic rebound, the more rapid the decrease in CD4 cell counts over time, and (2) the magnitude of the virologic rebound was inversely correlated with the CD4 cell counts at...

OBJECTIVE To measure the prognostic utility of helper T-cell (CD4) counts in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. DESIGN Retrospective case series. SETTING Three university-affiliated hospitals. PATIENTS Forty-three HIV-infected patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Morbidity and mortality rates with respec...

In contrast to HIV-infected humans, naturally SIV-infected sooty mangabeys (SMs) very rarely progress to AIDS. Although the mechanisms underlying this disease resistance are unknown, a consistent feature of natural SIV infection is the absence of the generalized immune activation associated with HIV infection. To define the correlates of preserved CD4(+) T cell counts in SMs, we conducted a cro...

BACKGROUND The clinical manifestation of pulmonary cryptococcosis varies notably between immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. To better understand pulmonary cryptococcosis, we compared the clinical features of pulmonary cryptococcosis patients with or without decreased peripheral blood CD4+ T cell counts. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 80 patients with c...

BACKGROUND Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis is recommended for subgroups of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults and children to reduce all-cause morbidity and mortality. We investigated whether antenatal cotrimoxazole prophylaxis begun during pregnancy for HIV-infected pregnant women with low CD4 cell counts would affect birth outcomes. METHODS Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis was introduced...