Lymphocyte subsets and urinary excretion of cytomegalovirus among homosexual men attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases.

A significantly higher frequency of urinary excretion of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) was noted in homosexual men (29 [18%] of 161) than in heterosexual men (3 [4%] of 77) attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. However, differences were not significant when only persons with antibody to HCMV were compared (29 of 157 vs. 3 of 33). The homosexual men who excreted HCMV had a significantly lower mean ratio of T-helper (OKT4+) to T-suppressor (OKT8+) cells (1.13 +/- 0.09) than did the homosexuals who did not excrete HCMV (1.67 +/- 0.1) or than did the heterosexual men (2.28 +/- 0.2). The abnormal ratio resulted from both a decrease in the percentage of OKT4+ and an increase in percentage of OKT8+ lymphocytes. The urinary excretion of HCMV by asymptomatic individuals who exhibit serological evidence of previous infection by this virus may be an indicator of impaired immune competence.