Interleukin 2 therapy in infectious diseases: rationale and prospects.

Clinical trials using interleukin 2 as a therapeutic immunomodulating agent in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome have recently begun. In this article we present data from studies which indicate the ability of interleukin 2 in vitro to augment clinically important cytotoxic immune responses in lymphocytes from these patients. These studies provide both a rationale for the current trials and a model for evaluating the potential for use of interleukin 2 in other infectious diseases. We outline the types of infectious diseases in which interleukin 2 may prove to be useful and the therapeutic strategies in which it may play a role.