[HIV infection and T-lymphocyte behavior: results of a study in Palermo]

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the HIV infection in people with an already impaired immunological system. The seroprevalence follow-up of different markers of HIV should seem to suggest to predict the course of the disease as well as the T4/T8 ratio did. We examined 111 at risk anti-HIV positive people according to these parameters in comparison with their clinical situation. Serum samples from these subjects were examined by means of the ELISA method for anti-ENV/CORE antibodies and HIV antigen, followed by a Western Blot confirmation. The T4/T8 ratio was controlled and measured by means of monoclonal immunofluorescent antibody test. Sixty six out of eighty three (79.5%) symptomatic patients showed a less than 1.0 T4/T8 ratio in comparison with 15/28 (53.6%) asymptomatic people (p less than 0.01) while no difference was seen in the same patients according to the presence or not of anti-core antibodies. In some patients it was possible to observe a positive trend in the T4/T8 ratio.