Immunotogical abnormalities in asymptomatic homosexual men: Correlation with antibody to HTLV-III and sequential changes over two years

Abstract

A prospective study on 100 homosexual male volunteers was designed to examine immunological function in relation to sexual activity and infection with the human T cell lymphotropic virus Type III (HTLV-III). Complete data were available for 71 men. In a comparison with 100 agematched heterosexual men, the study group of 100 men had a significantly higher mean serum IgG level (12.1±SD2.7 g/l vs. 10.9±2.4 g/l, p<0.01)and a significantly lower mean number of CD4 (T4) cells (845±310X10-6/I vs. 1128±375;p<0.01). For the study group, seropositivity for anti-HTLV-III was present initially in 22 per cent and was associated with a higher mean level of serum IgG and lower mean number of CD4 cells. Amo..