Antibodies to HTLV-III/LAV in Venezuelan patients with acute malarial infections.

Malarial infections have been associated with an immunosuppressive state similar to that seen in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Its manifestations include severe lymphopenia depletion of the T4-lymphocyte subset activation of B cells and diminished in vitro lymphocyte responses. Because of these similarities the authors tested Venezuelan patients with acute malaria for antibodies to human T-lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III). The sample included 12 patients with acute Plasmodium vivax infection and 12 with P. falciparum infection. None of the patients were receiving antimalarial drugs and none belonged to any of the recognized risk groups for AIDS. 3 of the patients with P. falciparum infection (25%) and 5 with P. vivax (41%) were found to be positive for HTLV-III antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence. Western blot and radioimmunoprecipitation tests. The pattern of the Western blot and radioimmunoprecipitation bands obtained with samples from malaria patients was similar to that noted in AIDS patients. Since acute malaria does not evolve into an AIDS-like syndrome it is concluded that exposure to HTLV-III and the occurrence of severe immunoregulatory disturbances are not always sufficient for the induction of AIDS.