%0 Journal Article %A Adotey, Gideon %A Quarcoo, Abraham %A Holliday, John %A Fofie, Solomon %A Saaka, Braimah %D 2011 %I Begell House %K medicinal mushrooms, immunomodulating activity, antiviral, HIV-infected patients, CD4+ T-lymphocyte, natural killer cells, Lentinus edodes, Grifola frondosa, Ganoderma lucidum, Trametes versicolor, Agaricus brasiliensis, Immune Assist 24 %N 2 %P 109-113 %R 10.1615/IntJMedMushr.v13.i2.20 %T Effect of Immunomodulating and Antiviral Agent of Medicinal Mushrooms (Immune Assist 24/7TM) on CD4+ T-Lymphocyte Counts of HIV-Infected Patients %U https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/708ae68d64b17c52,31e1791e300b7e1e,565912657940cd12.html %V 13 %X Immune enhancement through the use of natural products is a potentially valuable therapeutic modality in HIV-infected people, especially those who are not good candidates for aggressive ARV therapy. One such immune enhancement, a medicinal mushroom product from the United States, is Immune Assist 24/7TM. In this study the effect of Immune Assist 24/7TM., which is a naturally derived immune-modulating and antiviral agent, on CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts was evaluated in 8 HIV-infected patients at the Sunyani Regional Hospital (Ghana). The subjects were administered three tablets of 800 mg Immune Assist 24/7TM. once daily (2.4 g/day) and peripheral blood samples were drawn at baseline, day 30, and day 60, and the CD4+ count measured. The study revealed that Immune Assist 24/7TM., used as a sole therapeutic agent without additional ARV drugs, significantly increased CD4+ T-lymphocyte populations in all of the patients. In one patient, the CD4+ T-lymphocyte count went from 4 at the baseline, to 170 cells in 60 days, representing an increase of more than 4000%. In another patient, the CD4+ count went from 88 to 470 cells within the same period. Even in the patients with the highest CD4+ counts of around 800, there was a significant elevation in the CD4+ count noted. This study did not deal with the effect of Immune Assist 24/7TM. on other immune parameters such as CD3+ T-lymphocyte count, natural killer cells count, or viral load among HIV-infected patients. These initial results are promising, and indicate the potential value of further evaluating the effects of Immune Assist 24/7TM. on other immune parameters and viral load among HIV patients, administered either as a sole therapeutic agent, as an adjuvant with standard ARV therapy, or in comparison with standard ARV therapy alone. %8 2011-05-11