I am very keen on understanding some of the measurements done on HIV infected individuals so I have a number of questions to ask. 1.When a CD4 count is done, does this incluced the infected cells. 2. Can a percentage HIV-1specific IL-2 expression in CD4 cells be used as a measure of the number of T helper-1 cells present. Also, how is this % related to the actual number of CD4 helper cells. 3.What is the range for dendritic cell count in a healthy and in HIV infected individual. Thank you.

1. yes. 2. IL-2 expressing CD4 cells are a subpopulation of the total CD4 cells. Percent can be defined as a percentage of total lymphocytes or of CD4 positive cells if looking at a subset of CD4 cells. 3. There are both myeloid and lymphoid DC in blood with a range of 0.1-0.5% of mononuclear cells, which are in turn about 30% of the white blood cells. They are depressed in HIV infection.