RESUMO
Thirty-eight patients with end stage renal failure, half of them were CMV IgM seropositive and the other half with CMV IgM seronegative, all together with 27 normal controls, were studied. T cell subpopulation was assayed by specific monoclonal antibodies for T4 and T8. The result showed decrease in the absolute number of T4 [602 +/- 132 and 680 +/- 210 cells/mm 3] for the dialysis population compared to the normal controls. The absolute number of the T8 cells was also decreased [347 +/- 95 and 452 +/- 68 cells/mm 3] for the dialysis and controls, respectively. The T4/T8 ratio was found preserved 1.6: 1 and 1.5: 1 in the dialysis population and controls. A marked decrease was found in the absolute number of helper T4 for CMV seropositive patients [382 +/- 112] compared to the CMV seronegative ones [563 +/- 95] with slight difference in the absolute number of T4/T8 ratio in the seronegative patients [1.5: 1]. CMV infection seems to increase the immunosuppressive effect produced by uremic toxins making such patients more vulnerable for other opportunistic infections