Sharma, TanviHughes, JaneMurillo, AmarylisRiley, JoanneSoares, AndreiaLittle, FrancescaMitchell, Charles D.Hanekom, Willem A.2011-11-292008Sharma, Tanvi S., Jane Hughes, Amarylis Murillo, Joanne Riley, Andreia Soares, Francesca Little, Charles D. Mitchell, and Willem A. Hanekom. 2008. CD8+ T-Cell Interleukin-7 Receptor Alpha Expression as a Potential Indicator of Disease Status in HIV-Infected Children. PLoS ONE 3(12): e3986.1932-6203http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:5355301Background: Initiation and modification of antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected children depend on viral load and CD4+ T-cell count. However, these surrogates have limitations, and complementary immunological markers to assess therapeutic response are needed. Our aim was to evaluate CD8+ T-cell expression of CD127 as a marker of disease status in HIV-infected children, based on adult data suggesting its usefulness. We hypothesized that CD127 expression on CD8+ T-cells is lower in children with more advanced disease. Methods: In a cross-sectional evaluation, we used flow cytometry to measure CD127+ expression on CD8+ T-cells in whole blood from HIV-infected children with varying disease status. This was compared with expression of CD38 on this subset, currently used in clinical practice as a marker of disease status. Results: 51 HIV-infected children were enrolled. There was a strong positive correlation between CD127 expression on CD8+ T-cells and CD4+ T-cell count, and height and weight z-scores, and a strong negative correlation between CD127 expression and viral load. In contrast, we found no association between CD38 expression and these disease status markers. Conclusions: CD8+ T-cell CD127 expression is significantly higher in children with better HIV disease control, and may have a role as an immunologic indicator of disease status. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the utility of this marker as a potential indicator of HIV disease progression.en-USimmunologypediatrics and child healthinfectious diseasesHIV infection and AIDSJournal Article2011-11-2910.1371/journal.pone.0003986