ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of proliferation and differentiation of CD8 T cells on the progression in patients co-infected with HIV and HCV.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>To address this issue, the presences of CD57 and CD28 in the surface of CD8+ T-cell were monitored using flow cytometry in 20 patients co-infected with HIV and HCV and 20 patients infected with HCV alone. The proliferation and differentiations of CD8+ T cell were compared hetween patients co-infected with HIV and HCV and ones with HCV infection alone, to clarify the association hetween the function of CU and the progression of disease.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A high presence (28.84 +/- 4.49)% of CD57 in the surface of CD8+ T-cell in the patients with HIV/HCV co-infections was found, comparing with a low presence (8.24% +/- 5.05%) of CU57 in the patients with HCV infection alone, the difference hetween these two groups is significant (P < 0.001). Moreover, A clear linear regression hetween the percentage of CD57CD8t T and HCV viral load (log) was identified (P = 0.023, R2 = 0.21). In addition, the differentiations of CD8 T cells were compared between patients with HIV/HCV co-infection and mono-HCV infection: the dominant cells in patients with mono-HCV infection were ones in intermediate stage, while, a late differentiation process of CU8 T cells might he associated with HIV/HCV co-infection.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The differences of proliferation and differentiation of CTL. are significant, between HIV/HCV co- infection and mono-HCV infection. Lower proliferation and late stage of differentiations of CD8 T cell might affect the clearance of hepatitis C virus, weaken CU immunological response and induce chronic inflammation, finally will accelerate the progression of HCV infection.</p>