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During acute and early human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection (AEI) more than 50% of CD4⁺ T cells are preferentially depleted from the gastrointestinal (GI) lamina propria. To better understand the underlying mechanisms, we studied virological and immunological events within the peripheral blood (PB) and GI tract during AEI. A total of 32 AEI subjects and 18 uninfected controls underwent colonic biopsy. HIV-1 viral DNA and RNA levels were quantified in CD4⁺ T cells derived from the GI tract and PB by using real-time PCR. The phenotype of infected cells was characterized by using combinations of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Markers of immunological memory, activation, and proliferation were examined by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry, and the host-derived cytotoxic cellular response was examined by using immunohistochemistry. GI CD4⁺ T cells harbored, on …