Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were obtained from five patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), six homosexual males with lymphadenopathy, and five normal heterosexual controls. Modulation of virus-specific immunity was assayed in vitro by measuring the lymphocyte blastogenic response and the production of lymphokine (leukocyte inhibition factor; LIF) by PBL stimulated with herpes simplex virus (HSV) or cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens in the presence or absence of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interleukin-2 (IL-2). PBL from the control and lymphadenopathy subjects responded to both antigens in the lymphocyte transformation assay (LT) measured on day 7, and the responses were significantly enhanced in cultures grown in the presence of antigen and IL-2 (1 U/ml). PBL from the AIDS patients were unresponsive, but responsiveness was restored by the addition of IL-2. The addition of IL-1 (0.02 micrograms/ml) to antigen-stimulated PBL cultures failed to enhance the proliferative responses in all three study groups. LIF production was assayed in the supernatants from day 1 PBL cultures. LIF was not produced by PBL from AIDS patients grown in the presence of viral antigens, whereas three of five patients from the lymphadenopathy group, and three of five control subjects gave rise to positive responses. The addition of IL-1 to the antigen-stimulated cultures enhanced LIF production in the control and lymphadenopathy groups but not in the AIDS patients. The addition of IL-2 did not modulate LIF production by antigen-stimulated PBL from the control or AIDS patients while suppressing the LIF response of the similarly stimulated PBL from the lymphadenopathy patients.

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