Performance of Antigens Used in Detecting Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity in Adolescents Infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Year: 2001
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: We examined the performance of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) antigens employing a new Candida albicans product in a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and nonanergic adolescent population. Diameters of induration (in millimeters) for three intradermally applied antigens (C. albicans, tetanus toxoid, and mumps) were compared in a population of HIV-infected 12 to 18 year olds at study entry in a national multicenter study of HIV disease progression. CD4+ T-cell counts were measured in quality-controlled laboratories. The influence of past immunization, gender, and clinical status on antigen reactivity was evaluated with contingency table comparisons and relative risk estimation. Nearly one-half of the 123 eligible subjects were untreated, and almost three-quarters were early in HIV disease by clinical indicators. There was no statistically significant difference in reactivity by past immunization status. Candida antigen (CASTA; Greer Laboratories) evoked DTH response in a significantly higher number of males and females at every level of induration (largest P value, 0.049 for male comparisons; all P values, <0.001 for females) and in subjects with early and intermediate HIV disease at every level of induration (all P values, <0.0001) than either tetanus or mumps antigens. No two-antigen combination was as useful as all three antigens across either gender or clinical categories, although candida and tetanus was the most useful two-antigen combination at indurations of <3 mm. The superior performance of a new C. albicans antigen may extend the utility of DTH assessment in monitoring immune function.
Institutions: National Institutes of Health, Westat (United States), Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Cook County Health and Hospitals System, University of Maryland, Baltimore, University of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Language: English
Topic: HIV Research and Treatment
Subfield: Virology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2117946907