γδ T Cells Are Involved in Acute HIV Infection and Associated with AIDS Progression

Early diagnosis is vital to HIV control. γδ T cells play critical roles in viral infections, but their activation in acute HIV infected patients and follow up to 18 months has not been described.Changes in γδ T cells, including subsets, function and activation, in treated and untreated acutely HIV-infected patients (n = 79) were compared by cytotoxicity assay and flow cytometry with healthy controls (n = 21) at month 0, 6, 12 and 18. = 0.001), which increased in a time-dependent manner, correlating with CD4/CD8 T cell activation set-points and CD4 counts. Antiretroviral therapy did not affect these changes.γδ T cell subpopulation and functions change significantly in acute HIV infection and over time. Early γδ T cell activation was associated with CD4/CD8 T cell activation set-points, which predict AIDS progression. Therefore, γδ T cell activation represents a potential surrogate marker of AIDS progression