Relationship between antibody to LAV/HTLV-III and the natural course of subclinical cellular immune dysfunction in homosexual men.

To assess the epidemiology and natural history of persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (PGL) and subclinical immunodeficiency in relation to serologic evidence of lymphadenopathy-associated virus/human T-lymphotropic virus type III (LAV/HTLV-III) infection, 109 homosexual men with PGL, 47 homosexual men without lymphadenopathy who attended a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic, 25 homosexual male university students, and 26 heterosexual men who attended the STD clinic were studied. In 1982-1983 antibody to LAV/HTLV-III was present in 97%, 35%, 21%, and 4% of the four groups, respectively (P less than .001). Subclinical immunodeficiency was more closely associated with LAV/HTLV-III seropositivity than with lymphadenopathy. Cohorts of 78 homosexual subjects with PGL, 35 homosexual subjects from STD clinic, and 15 homosexual university students were followed for median periods of 13.5, 20, and 14.5 months, respectively. The seroconversion rate was 23% per year among seronegative subjects, and 4% of seropositive subjects developed overt acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Among seronegative subjects, there was significant improvement in T4:T8 ratios (P = .001), whereas most seropositive subjects continued to have subnormal total counts of T4 lymphocytes and low T4:T8 ratios. Some cases of subclinical cellular immunodeficiency apparently are unrelated to LAV/HTLV-III infection, and the presence of antibody to this virus is associated with an unfavorable immunologic prognosis.