Infections in parenteral drug abusers: Further immunologic studies

In our previous study of soft tissue infections in parenteral drug abusers, two thirds of the infections were polymicrobial. Oral and enteric organisms were frequently recovered. These patients and a group of uninfected addicts showed frequent cutaneous anergy, lymphopenia, and hypergammaglobulinemia. An additional group of uninfected addicts was studied. The mean levels of IgA, IgG, and IgM were higher in the uninfected addicts. In the addict and control groups, elevations in IgA (17 percent of total), IgG (65 percent), and IgM (19 percent) levels were found. Zinc levels were within normal limits. T-cell populations below 70 percent were seen in five of the seven addicts and two of the four control subjects. Reversed helper to suppressor cell ratios were found in three of the seven addicts and control subjects. No consistent pattern of immunologic abnormalities emerged. The interrelationship of the abnormalities in the addict and their relationship to AIDS is unclear.