[Effect of opportunistic infections on the frequency of leukocyte subpopulations from type-1 human immunodeficiency virus infected individuals]. / Efecto de las infecciones oportunistas sobre las subpoblaciones de leucocitos en individuos infectados con el virus de inmunodeficiencia humana tipo 1.

INTRODUCTION: The presence of opportunistic infections in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome favors the progression of HIV-1 infection. Despite the key role that several leukocyte subpopulations exhibit during the anti-infectious response, few studies have focused on the role of these cells in HIV-1-infected patients with active opportunistic infections. OBJECTIVE: The quantity of several innate and adaptive cell subpopulations was evaluated in whole peripheral blood of HIV-1-infected patients, with and without a history of opportunistic infections. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The absolute number of each leukocyte subpopulation was evaluated by flow cytometry, and for each cell subpopulation, this number was correlated with viral load, CD4+ T cell count and the expression of activation markers on CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. RESULTS: Chronically HIV-1 infected patients exhibited a quantitative deficiency in several leukocyte subpopulations; this effect was more pronounced in individuals suffering an active opportunistic infection. This indicated that the coinfection by HIV-1 and opportunistic microorganisms potentiated the immunodeficiency by reducing significantly the frequency of different subpopulations of leukocytes. CONCLUSIONS: This finding underlines the importance of an early diagnose of HIV-1 infection, and the need for the rational use of antiretroviral medications to avoid the development of opportunistic infections. In addition, it points to the necessity of developing immunotherapy strategies for HIV-1-infected patients in order to re-establish the immune competence.