Detection of the impairment of CD80 expression on circulating monocytes in HIV-infected Thai children.

The mechanism of progressive anergic response in HIV-infected children has yet to be adequately described. One possibility is inappropriate delivery of an essential second signal for T-cell activation due to the inappropriate presentation of co-stimulatory molecules. To determine whether the ligand for the secondary signal is impaired in pediatric AIDS, we compared the level of CD80 expression by circulating monocytes in HIV-infected and-noninfected children (15 mild/asymptomatic, 13 symptomatic and 12 HIV seronegative children).