The Level of Activated and Proliferating CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T Cells Remains Elevated in the GI Tract during HAART

Using four-color flow cytometry, co-expression of CD45RO and HLA-DR was examined on CD3⁺CD8⁺ (A) and CD3⁺CD4⁺ (B) gated lymphocytes in HIV-uninfected control participants, AEI, and patients treated for up to 1 y, 1–3 y, and 3–7 y. PBMCs are depicted in white and MMCs in grey boxes.

(C) Using immunohistochemistry, the percentage of GI cells expressing Ki67 was determined on CD4⁺ T cells (left panel) and CD8⁺ T cells (right panel). Levels in HIV-uninfected control participants (white boxes) were compared with AEI (light grey boxes) and patients treated for up to 1 y (hatched boxes), 1–3 y (speckled boxes), and 3–7 y (dark grey boxes).

In these plots, the boxes extend from the first to the third quartiles, enclosing the middle 50% of the data. The middle line within each box indicates the median of the data, whereas the vertical line extends from the 10th to the 90th percentile. Means of the data are represented by filled-in squares.