Dynamics and Correlates of CD8 T-Cell Counts in Africans with Primary Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection.

Abstract

Longitudinal data from 497 HIV-1 seroconverters allowed us to systematically evaluate the dynamics and correlates of CD8+ T-cell counts during untreated primary HIV-1 infection in eastern and southern Africans. Our findings suggest that individuals with certain HLA-I alleles, including A*03 (exclusively A*03:01), persistently maintain relatively high CD8 counts following HIV-1 infection, a finding which may offer an intriguing explanation for the recently reported, negative association of A*03 with HIV-1-specific, broadly neutralizing antibody responses. In future studies, attention to HLA-I genotyping data may benefit in-depth understanding of both cellular and humoral immunity, as well as the intrinsic balances of these types of immunity, especially in settings where there is emerging evidence of antagonism between the two arms of adaptive immunity.