Prognostic value of serum immunoglobulin A antibodies to pol gene products during HIV-1 infection.

Serum specimens from 66 HIV-1-infected subjects were tested by ELISA for the presence of IgA antibodies to HIV-1: 44 samples were found positive and 37 were confirmed by immunoblot. In these subjects, the presence of anti-HIV IgA antibodies was studied in relation to the total count of circulating CD4+ lymphocytes and to the level of serum IgA. A significative correlation (P < 0.03) was found between the absence of IgA to the subunit p68 of the reverse transcriptase and a count of CD4+ cell < 400/mm3 or total IgA level over 4.25 g/l. The same pattern was observed for the IgA antibodies to the p52 subunit but the association was just not significant (P < 0.07). No significant decrease was noted for the IgA directed towards the other proteins of HIV-1, especially the products of the gag gene.