A 31-year-old man with AIDS complains of difficulty in swallowing. Examination of his oral cavity demonstrates whitish membranes covering much of his tongue and palate. Endoscopy also reveals several whitish, ulcerated lesions in the esophagus. These pathologic findings are fundamentally caused by loss of which of the following immune cells in this patient?
The fundamental lesion in such case is infection of CD4+ (helper) T lymphocytes There is depletion of this cell population and impaired immune function. As a result, patients with AIDS usually die of oppounistic infections. HIV does infect the monocyte/macrophage lineage (choice D), but infected cells exhibit little if any cytotoxicity. Diagnosis: AIDS
B lymphocytes
Helper T lymphocytes
Killer T lymphocytes
Monocytes/macrophages
Immunity disorders