Immunodeficiency and elevated CD4 T lymphocyte counts in two patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus and human lymphotropic virus type I.

We describe two patients who were coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) type I. They had clinical evidence of immunodeficiency (anergy, oral candidiasis, and disseminated herpes zoster) despite having elevated CD4 T lymphocyte counts (range, 2,450-5,292/mm3). We conclude that CD4 lymphocyte counts may not be reliable markers of immunologic competence in patients coinfected with HIV and HTLV-I.