Department of Inmunology, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Dr. Esquerado, 46, 28007 Madrid, Spain.
CD4 T-cell percentages, viral load and thymic function measured as T-cell receptor rearrangement excision circle (TREC) levels were determined every 2-3 months in six treated HIV-infected children for 4 years. All children experienced a marked increase in CD4 cell count after therapy, accompanied by a concomitantly marked increase in TREC levels. In children, the decrease in viral load caused by antiviral therapy leads to an increase in CD4 T cells, mainly because of a recovery in the thymic production of new T cells.