AIDS patients characteristically show a deficiency in which one of the following?

AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is caused by the HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), which specifically targets and destroys CD4+ T lymphocytes, also known as T helper cells. This depletion of T lymphocytes is a hallmark of AIDS and is critical because these cells play a central role in orchestrating the immune response.

T lymphocytes are crucial for the activation of B lymphocytes, which produce antibodies, and for the activation of other immune cells, including natural killer cells and macrophages. The significant decline in T lymphocytes directly impacts the overall immune system's functionality, leaving the body more vulnerable to infections and cancers.

In contrast, while natural killer cells, B lymphocytes, and macrophages can also be affected in the context of AIDS, they do not show the level of deficiency that T lymphocytes do. The primary mechanism of HIV's pathogenicity involves the targeting of the T cell population, making the deficiency of T lymphocytes the defining characteristic in AIDS patients.