Spontaneous release of interferon as a predictor of clinical evolution in HIV-positive subjects

In order to establish a correlation with disease progression we prospectively evaluated ten clinical and immunologic parameters in 102 consecutive HIV-positive subjects. The eight immunologic variables were: in vitro spontaneous interferon release by peripheral blood monocytic cells, alpha- and gamma-interferon production induced by Newcastle Disease Virus and PHA, Multitest Mérieux score, PHA- and CON-A-induced lymphocyte transformation, absolute number of CD4+ cells and CD4/CD8 ratio, respectively. The two baseline clinical variables were risk factor and disease presentation. Generalized Wilcoxon analysis indicated a significant correlation of one clinical (disease presentation at entry) and three immunologic variables (spontaneous interferon release, CD4+ cell number, Multitest Mérieux) with disease progression. Baseline spontaneous release of alpha, acid-labile interferon showed the best correlation with disease progression, and appeared to be significantly associated with CD4+ cell loss. Spontaneous release of acid-labile alpha interferon by mononuclear cells in vitro could be highly predictive of disease evolution in HIV-Ab positive, AIDS-free subjects.