Maintenance of the PCR Signal or Induction of PCR-Conversion Upon Culture With TCM or RTCM in PBMCs or in PBMC-Derived Adherent or Floating Cells From PCR-Positive or -Negative Patients
| Cell Population . | Maintenance of PCR Signal With IC4-150 (patients positive at day 0) . | PCR-Conversion With IC4-151 (patients negative at day 0) . | |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS Patients‡ (N = 12) . | KS Patients4-153 (N = 9) . | Risk Individuals4-153 (N = 12) . | |
| Unfractionated cells4-155 | 1/3 (33%) | 1/2 (50%) | 0/3 (0%) |
| Floating cells | 3/9 (33%) | 0/7 (0%) | 1/9 (11%) |
| Adherent cells | 3/8 (37%) | 2/7 (28%) | 2/9 (22%) |
| Responders | 5/12 (42%) | 3/9 (33%) | 2/12 (17%) |
| Presence of anti–HHV-8 Ab | 12/12 (100%) | 9/9 (100%) | 12/12 (100%) |
| Cell Population . | Maintenance of PCR Signal With IC4-150 (patients positive at day 0) . | PCR-Conversion With IC4-151 (patients negative at day 0) . | |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS Patients‡ (N = 12) . | KS Patients4-153 (N = 9) . | Risk Individuals4-153 (N = 12) . | |
| Unfractionated cells4-155 | 1/3 (33%) | 1/2 (50%) | 0/3 (0%) |
| Floating cells | 3/9 (33%) | 0/7 (0%) | 1/9 (11%) |
| Adherent cells | 3/8 (37%) | 2/7 (28%) | 2/9 (22%) |
| Responders | 5/12 (42%) | 3/9 (33%) | 2/12 (17%) |
| Presence of anti–HHV-8 Ab | 12/12 (100%) | 9/9 (100%) | 12/12 (100%) |
PBMC from serologically positive patients were analyzed at day 0 and after culture for 6-7 days with or without RTCM. Cells were harvested in toto (unfractionated) or by separating floating and adherent cells. All cells were counted and the same number of cells (105) was analysed by PCR.
Maintenance of the PCR signal by IC was defined as the presence of HHV-8 DNA upon culture in TCM or RTCM as compared with RPMI for patients whose PBMC were already positive at day 0. These included all patients that after culture in RPMI showed a loss of viral DNA or a reduced PCR signal as compared with TCM/RTCM.
Induction of PCR conversion by IC was defined as the detection of HHV-8 DNA in cells cultured with TCM or RTCM as compared with RPMI-negative cultures for the patients that were PCR-negative at day 0, but serologically positive.
Including 9 AIDS-KS and 3 CKS.
Including 6 AIDS-KS, 2 CKS, 1 PT-KS, 2 NKS-AIDS, 5 HIV+, and 5 PT patients.
Cultured PBMC from 3 patients with AIDS-KS, 1 with CKS, and 3 PT patients were harvested as unfractionated cells.