The pathology and treatment of interstitial pneumonitis in two infants with AIDS

Two infants with AIDS who presented with interstitial pneumonitis, failure to thrive, lymphadenopathy, and hypergammaglobulinemia have been studied. Antibody to human T-lymphotropic retrovirus (HTLV-III) was identified by ELISA and Western blot analysis in serum samples from both patients. The T4/T8 ratios of peripheral blood T-lymphocytes in both patients were mildly decreased, with normal absolute numbers of lymphocytes and positive T4 cells. Lung biopsies from both patients demonstrated similar histopathologic features with features of lymphocytic interstitial infiltrates and accumulation of macrophages in the air spaces. Immunoperoxidase studies of the lung biopsy from 1 patient revealed that the lymphocytic infiltrate was composed predominantly of T cells of the T8 subset. Each patient was treated with prednisone, with improvement or resolution of pulmonary symptoms, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, and growth failure. Neither patient has had any opportunistic infections. One patient has been followed for more than 4 years and the other for 8 months.