Quantification of CD8-positive lymphocytes in lymph node follicles from HIV-infected male homosexuals and controls

The number of CD8-positive cells in follicular centres of hyperplastic lymph nodes from 20 Danish and Swedish homosexual men with persistent generalized lymphadenopathy and 43 control patients were enumerated in frozen tissue sections immunostained with monoclonal antibody reactive with the CD8-antigen ("cytotoxic-suppressor" T-cell antigen). All the homosexuals were seropositive for HIV and histology showed changes characteristic of the early stage of HIV lymphadenitis. A significant increase (p much less than 0.001) of CD8-positive cells was demonstrated (mean 1,307 per mm2 follicular centre, SD 639) in HIV-related lymphadenopathy compared with the controls (mean 161 CD8-positive cells per mm2 follicular centre, SD 169). The results of this study show that the immunohistological demonstration of a significant increase of CD8-positive cells in the follicles of hyperplastic lymph nodes is suggestive of HIV-related lymphadenopathy.