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. 1998 Jun 1;101(11):2301–2308. doi: 10.1172/JCI2834

High prevalence of thymic tissue in adults with human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection.

J M McCune 1, R Loftus 1, D K Schmidt 1, P Carroll 1, D Webster 1, L B Swor-Yim 1, I R Francis 1, B H Gross 1, R M Grant 1
PMCID: PMC508819  PMID: 9616201

Abstract

The thymus in adults infected with the HIV-1 is generally thought to be inactive, both because of age-related involution and viral destruction. We have revisited the question of thymic function in adults, using chest-computed tomography (CT) to measure thymic tissue in HIV-1-seropositive (n = 99) or HIV-1-seronegative (n = 32) subjects, and correlating these results with the level of circulating CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells that are phenotypically described as naive thymic emigrants. Abundant thymic tissue was detectable in many (47/99) HIV-1-seropositive adults, aged 20-59. Independent of age, radiographic demonstration of thymic tissue was significantly associated with both a higher CD4(+) T cell count (P = 0.02) and a higher percentage and absolute number of circulating naive (CD45RA+CD62L+) CD4(+) T cells (P < 0.04). The prevalence of an abundant thymus was especially high in younger HIV-1-seropositive adults (</= 39 yr) with CD4 counts in the range 300-500 cells/microl and in older subjects (> 40 yr) regardless of CD4 count (P = 0.03). These studies suggest that the thymus is functional in some but not all adults with HIV-1 disease.

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Selected References

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