The present inventor has noted that at least two populations of immune cells are produced in response to retroviruses which infect mammals. More particularly, the immune system of a mammal infected with a retrovirus is capable of mounting an immune response against the virus through a group of cells herein generally referred to as "effector cells", however, a second population of cells are also produced which regulate the "effector cells", herein generally referred to as "regulator cells" or suppressor cells, limiting the mammal's ability to effectively control or eradicate the retroviral infection. Accordingly, the present invention utilizes these observations to provide methods for treating a mammal with a retroviral infection. Furthermore, the present inventor has found that acute phase inflammatory markers can be used to detect and monitor an"effector cell" response to retroviral antigens.
