Cell Biochemistry Martinsried

HIV Patient Staging
from Immunephenotypes

G.Valet, L.Kestens1)

1) Inst.Tropical Medicine, University Antwerp, Belgium


  • SMDC in Research and Medicine
  • HIV disease is characterized by the gradual fading of the immuneresponse resulting in an increased susceptibility for life threatening opportunistic infections.

    Flow cytometric immunophenotype measurements of lymphocyte surface antigen patterns are performed with the concept to obtain information on the current status of the immune system. The antigen patterns are usually determined by flow cytometry following simultaneous staining of peripheral blood leukocytes with two or three fluorescinated antibodies against CD clustered antigens.

    Although a high variety of measurements in many different antigen combinations has been performed by a multitude of groups only few determinations like the number of CD4 positive cells are considered of clinical importance.

    It was the goal of this work to clinically stage HIV patients by standardized and automated classification of two or three color immunophenotype measurements with the CLASSIF1 (2) program system (Ann.NY Acad.Sci.677,233-251(1993)). The results indicate that individual patient staging is possible upon exhaustive analysis of lympho-, mono- and granulocytes. It is also possible to discriminate seronegative persons with a risk life style from normal individuals. This may permit to screen for an increased susceptibility to HIV infection.

  • Cell Biochemistry

  • For problems or comments, please contact:
    G.Valet E-mail: valet@vms.biochem.mpg.de, Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, Am Klopferspitz 18a, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany, Tel: +49/89/8578-2518, -2525, Fax: +49/89/8578-2563, INTERNET address: http://www.biochem.mpg.de/valet/cellbio.htmll
    Last Update: Nov.12, 1996