We have tested the hypothesis that activation of T cells by exposure to malaria antigens facilitates both de novo HIV infection and viral reactivation and replication. PBMC from malaria-naive HIV-uninfected European donors could be productively infected with HIV following in vitro stimulation with a lysate of Plasmodium falciparum schizonts and PBMC from malaria-naive and malaria-exposed (semi-immune) HIV-positive adults were induced to produce higher levels of virus after stimulation with the same malaria extract. These findings suggest that effective malaria control measures might con-tribute to reducing the spread of HIV and extending the life span of HIV-infected individuals living in malaria endemic areas.

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The stage of development and age were found to effect the responsiveness of dog T-lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin. T-lymphocytes from beagles 0 to 4 weeks of age showed significantly less response to phytohemagglutinin ( P < 0.001) than T-lymphocytes from these same dogs at 6 to 12 weeks of age. Peak response to phytohemagglutinin occurred between 6 weeks to 6 months of age, after which there was a significant correlation ( P < 0.02) between increase in age and decrease in phytohemagglutinin responsiveness.

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