Document 0664
 DOCN  M9440664
 TI    Redistribution of HIV outside the lymphoid system with onset of AIDS.
 DT    9404
 AU    Donaldson YK; Bell JE; Ironside JW; Brettle RP; Robertson JR; Busuttil
       A; Simmonds P; Department of Medical Microbiology, University of
       Edinburgh, UK.
 SO    Lancet. 1994 Feb 12;343(8894):383-5. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/94133798
 AB    The basis for many of the symptoms and pathological changes found in
       patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) remains
       poorly understood. We have used a quantitative polymerase chain reaction
       technique to investigate the extent to which direct infection with human
       immunodeficiency virus (HIV) produces the disease manifestations of
       AIDS. In five patients who died with AIDS-defining illnesses (Centers
       for Disease Control and Prevention class IV), we found variable, but in
       many cases extensive, infection by HIV at various sites, including
       brain, lung, colon, and liver. By contrast, in three HIV-positive
       subjects who died without HIV-related disease (CDC class II), we found
       no evidence of significant infection of any non-lymphoid organ. In both
       groups of patients there were high levels of infection in cells of the
       spleen, lymph nodes, and peripheral blood. Pathological examination of
       tissues from the AIDS patients revealed many abnormalities, of which
       some, such as giant-cell encephalitis in the brain, were specifically
       associated with the presence of high levels of HIV infection. These
       findings suggest that spread of HIV outside cells of the immune system
       is a late event in HIV infection and is extremely sensitive to the
       degree of immunosuppression in the patient.
 DE    Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*MICROBIOLOGY  Adult  Base Sequence
       Brain/MICROBIOLOGY  Colon/MICROBIOLOGY  DNA, Viral/ANALYSIS  Female
       Human  HIV Seropositivity/*MICROBIOLOGY  HIV-1/GENETICS/*ISOLATION &
       PURIF  Liver/MICROBIOLOGY  Lung/MICROBIOLOGY  Lymphatic
       System/MICROBIOLOGY  Male  Molecular Sequence Data  Support, Non-U.S.
       Gov't  JOURNAL ARTICLE

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