Correlation of in vitro immune defects with impaired gamma interferon response in human-immunodeficiency-virus-infected individuals.

65 patients belonging to known acquired-immune-deficiency-syndrome (AIDS) risk groups were tested for mitogen responsiveness to pokeweed mitogen, concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin, percentages of peripheral blood CD4, CD8 and Leu7 lymphocyte subsets, serum neopterin levels, and gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN) concentrations in cell culture supernatants. Patients with clinical symptoms of human-immunodeficiency-virus infection showed reduced gamma-IFN production in vitro. The IFN concentrations were correlated significantly with mitogen-induced blastogenesis. High serum neopterin levels and decreased CD4/CD8 ratios were associated with diminished gamma-IFN levels. The percentage of Leu7 lymphocytes was increased in a group of patients with strikingly elevated gamma-IFN levels.