T4+ Cell Production of Interferon Gamma and the Clinical Spectrum of Patients at Risk for and With Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

To the Editor.—Abnormalities in cellular immune responses in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been shown to increase with the stage of diseases.^1-3 The report by Murray et al⁴ in the July 1988 issue of the Archives of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and toxoplasma antigen–induced interferon gamma responses in laboratory (not shown) and homosexual control subjects and patients with HIV-related diseases clarifies observed differences between subsets of these conditions. In addition, mean counts of peripheral blood CD4 positive (T4⁺, Leu3⁺, and T-helper/inducer type) cells were again shown to be decreased in more advanced stages of disease. A direct correlation of these cell counts with the immune responses was not shown.

Having performed studies of immune responses to herpesvirus antigens in seropositive, HIV-positive patients from all disease stages, we have coincidently examined peripheral blood CD4⁺ cell counts. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell transformation indexes were performed by culture of