No association between herpes simplex virus type-2 seropositivity or anogenital lesions and HIV seroconversion among homosexual men

Article Abstract:

There has been suggestion that herpes simplex virus type 2 infection, often called genital herpes, may play a role in subsequent infection with the AIDS virus. However, the notion that the skin lesions resulting from the herpes infection provide excellent paths of entry for the somewhat fastidious AIDS virus is based on circumstantial evidence. Herpes simplex type 2 is certainly common among patients infected with HIV, and herpes infection is common among many high-risk groups, such as homosexuals and prostitutes. This association might be the result of the fact that both diseases are related to sexual behavior, rather than the result of a more significant relation between the diseases themselves. To determine if type 2 herpes infection might actually predispose an individual to acquire HIV infection, a case-control study was designed to compare 49 HIV-infected homosexual men with 49 homosexual men who do not have anti-HIV antibodies. The subjects and controls were matched for frequency of receptive anal intercourse, which is suspected to be a high-risk behavior for these infections. The frequency of herpes simplex virus was virtually identical within the two groups (21 of 49 men in each group). Self-reported symptoms indicated that in both groups the men had acquired their herpes simplex infection at least one year prior to the study. Neither physical examination nor self-reporting revealed a significant difference between the two groups on the occurrence of herpetic sores. However, it still might be argued that, although the overall herpes infection rate was the same in both groups, the HIV-infected group might still have had a higher incidence of anal lesions than did the group not apparently infected with HIV. Such lesions may still have contributed to the infection with the AIDS virus. However, the present study found no evidence to support the notion that herpes simplex infection predisposes an individual to the acquisition of HIV infection. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Complications and side effects, Risk factors, HIV infection, HIV infections, Herpes genitalis, Genital herpes, Herpesviruses

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Augmentation of cellular immune function during the early phase of zidovudine treatment of AIDS patients

Article Abstract:

AIDS is caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The virus attacks and destroys immune cells, thereby increasing the risk of developing life-threatening infections and AIDS. The virus attacks T lymphocytes (also called T cells), which are specialized white blood cells produced in the thymus gland; these cells play a vital role in fighting infection. During HIV infection, the virus attaches itself to the surface of a T cell and destroys it. Consequently, the number of T cells in the blood decreases dramatically. This explains why people who have AIDS are very susceptible to infections. Zidovudine is a drug that prevents HIV from reproducing or replicating. It has been shown to be effective in preventing secondary infections and in prolonging the lives of patients with AIDS. Studies have shown that this drug increases the number of T cells in the blood. To determine if zidovudine also improves the function of the T cells, 25 AIDS patients were studied. The patients received zidovudine as a high dose of 1,500 milligrams per day (mg/day) or a low dose of 1,200 mg/day. Blood samples were taken at 10 week intervals. The function of T cells was determined by measuring the production of a protein called interferon-gamma. Both doses of zidovudine increased the number and function of T cells between the 10 and 20th week of treatment, but they subsequently decreased. These findings indicate that zidovudine produces a temporary increase in the number and function of T cells in the blood. This may explain why zidovudine has a limited effect in treating AIDS. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Care and treatment, Physiological aspects, Drug therapy, AIDS patients, T cells, Zidovudine

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Natural killer cell responses in homosexual men with early HIV infection

Article Abstract:

Natural killer (NK) cells are a type of T-lymphocyte which play a key role in the destruction of virus-infected cells within the body. While it is clear that AIDS patients have defects in NK cell activity in addition to their other immunological problems, it is less certain how the defect in NK activity develops in relation to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection itself. To clarify this relation, NK activity was measured in several sets of men: homosexual men who became HIV-positive while enrolled in a large study, homosexual men who were HIV-positive prior to enrollment, seronegative homosexual men, seronegative heterosexual men, and AIDS patients. The men who became seropositive while enrolled in a study are important because an approximate time frame may be assigned to the infection. Assays of NK activity demonstrated a clear reduction in the HIV-infected men, even in the early stages of HIV infection, which ranged from 3 to 27 months after converting to seropositivity (the detection of antibodies against HIV in the blood serum). Alpha-interferon, which is a substance that can modulate the immune response, increased NK activity among infected men within the first year of HIV infection. After one year, the decline in NK activity continued; NK activity was lowest among patients with AIDS. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Research, Measurement, HIV (Viruses), HIV, AIDS research, Killer cells, AIDS virus carriers, HIV carriers

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