Association between Vγ2Vδ2 T Cells and Disease Progression after Infection with Closely Related Strains of HIV in China

Background. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and disease are accompanied by decreases in the absolute number and function of Vγ2Vδ2 T cells, suggesting that this subset of cells may play an important role in controlling disease. We performed a cross-sectional study involving HIV-infected former blood donors and assessed the association between Vγ2Vδ2 T cells and markers of disease progression.

Methods. Changes in Vγ2Vδ2 T cell count and function were compared between HIV-infected individuals and healthy blood donors using the Mann-Whitney U test. The relationships between Vγ2Vδ2...

Background. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and disease are accompanied by decreases in the absolute number and function of Vγ2Vδ2 T cells, suggesting that this subset of cells may play an important role in controlling disease. We performed a cross-sectional study involving HIV-infected former blood donors and assessed the association between Vγ2Vδ2 T cells and markers of disease progression.

Methods. Changes in Vγ2Vδ2 T cell count and function were compared between HIV-infected individuals and healthy blood donors using the Mann-Whitney U test. The relationships between Vγ2Vδ2 T cell count, plasma viral load, and CD4 T cell count were analyzed using the Spearman correlation.

Results. We found significant positive correlations between CD4 T cell count and both total Vγ2Vδ2 T cell count (P<.001) and functional (isopentenyl pyrophosphate—responsive) Vγ2Vδ2 T cell count (P<.001). We found significant reverse correlations between viral load and both total Vγ2Vδ2 T cell count (P<.05) and functional Vγ2Vδ2 T cell count (P<.05).

Conclusions. The association of Vγ2Vδ2 T cells with disease progression in 146 HIV-infected participants supports the view that intact Vγ2Vδ2 T cell populations are important for controlling HIV disease.