Correlation of subclinical candidal colonization of the dorsal tongue surface with the Walter Reed staging scheme for patients infected with HIV-1

J N Hamilton; S H Thompson; M J Scheidt; M J McQuade; T Van Dyke; K Plowman

doi:10.1016/0030-4220(92)90152-g

Correlation of subclinical candidal colonization of the dorsal tongue surface with the Walter Reed staging scheme for patients infected with HIV-1

Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1992 Jan;73(1):47-51. doi: 10.1016/0030-4220(92)90152-g.

Authors

J N Hamilton¹, S H Thompson, M J Scheidt, M J McQuade, T Van Dyke, K Plowman

Affiliation

¹ U.S. Army Dentac, Fort Gordon, Ga.

PMID: 1534883
DOI: 10.1016/0030-4220(92)90152-g

Abstract

The correlation between subclinical candidal colonization of the dorsal tongue surface and the Walter Reed staging scheme for patients positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) antibody is reported. Of 76 cytologic smears of the dorsal tongue surface, 12 (16.2%) demonstrated subclinical colonization. The mean peripheral helper T-lymphocyte count for patients with subclinical colonization was 304 +/- 226 cells/mm3 and was not significantly different from seropositive patients without colonization (411 +/- 209 cells/mm3). The Walter Reed scheme for assessing progressive immunodysregulation did not significantly correlate with the presence of subclinical colonization. This study suggests a more complex pathogenesis for oral candidiasis in HIV-1-infected patients rather than a direct link to peripheral helper T-lymphocyte depletion below a count of 400 cells/mm3.

MeSH terms

Adult
Candida / isolation & purification
Candidiasis, Oral / complications*
Candidiasis, Oral / microbiology
Chi-Square Distribution
Female
HIV Seropositivity / complications*
HIV Seropositivity / immunology
HIV Seropositivity / microbiology
Humans
Leukocyte Count
Lymphocyte Depletion
Male
T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer
Tongue / microbiology