Increasing CD8+ T lymphocytes predict subsequent development of intraoral lesions among individuals in the early stages of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus

Article Abstract:

Intraoral lesions, abnormalities on the tongue or tissues in the mouth and throat, caused by infections have been associated with AIDS and HIV infection from the early stages of the epidemic. Increasingly, HIV disease is being defined by CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte counts. This study examined if there is a relation between T lymphocyte counts and intraoral lesions. HIV-infected individuals, enrolled in a drug study, underwent oral examinations between January and December 1989. Up to four examinations were performed during the study period. T lymphocyte counts were averaged for a given time frame covering a period just prior to the first examination, and for later examinations, for a period between the prior and present examination. A total of 106 patients participated in the study and were examined at least once. Of the 106 participants, 88 percent participated in the second examination, 72 percent in the third, and 56 percent in the fourth. Oral lesions were seen in 38 patients (36 percent) at some point during the study. CD4+ and CD8+ counts did not differ significantly for patients who did not have lesions and those who did. At the first examination, oral lesions were seen in 25 percent of the patients. For subsequent examinations, the rates were 19, 15, and 20 percent. The most commonly seen lesions were ulcerative lesions and hairy leukoplakia. CD4+ counts were stable until after examination 4. CD8+ counts increased slightly by examination 4. When data on T lymphocyte counts performed before and after the examinations were compared with examination results, a relation was found between an elevated CD8+ count before the examination and the presence of an oral lesion at the examination. This relationship remained unchanged when smoking and alcohol use were considered. These results indicate that information on changes in CD8+ counts may be useful for preventing or managing HIV-related oral lesions. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Measurement, Physiological aspects, T cells, Oral manifestations of general diseases, Oral manifestations, CD8 lymphocytes

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The epidemiology of bacillary angiomatosis and bacillary peliosis

Article Abstract:

Individuals who have been scratched or bitten by a cat may have a higher risk of developing bacillary angiomatosis-bacillary peliosis (BAP) than other individuals. BAP is an infection characterized by the formation of lesions in different tissues of the body including the liver and the spleen. A study compared 48 patients diagnosed with BAP to 94 individuals without BAP. Among the patients with BAP, one was HIV-negative but suffering from another type of immunodeficiency, five were HIV-negative and 42 were HIV-positive. The patients with BAP were more likely to own a cat or to have been bitten or scratched by a cat recently than were the healthy individuals. Analysis of tissue samples from 22 patients with BAP found they were all infected by the bacterium Rochalimaea or a closely related species of bacteria. BAP may be a common opportunistic infection among HIV-positive individuals.

Health aspects, Domestic cats, Cats, Purpura (Pathology), Purpura, Angiomatosis

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