Comparison of plasma cytokine levels in African patients with HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection. NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

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Comparison of plasma cytokine levels in African patients with HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection.

AIDS. 1994 Jul;8(7):879-84. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/95032917
Chollet-Martin S; Simon F; Matheron S; Joseph CA; Elbim C; Gougerot-Pocidalo MA; INSERM U294, Department of Immunology and Biological Haematology,; CHU Bichat-Claude Bernard, Paris, France.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To determine plasma cytokine levels [tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1 beta and IL-6] in African patients infected with HIV-2 relative to values in HIV-1-infected patients, and their relation to immunologic and clinical status. DESIGN: Questions about the observed differences in the pathogenesis of HIV-2 and HIV-1 remain unanswered. Cytokines, especially TNF-alpha, are involved in the regulation of HIV-1 replication, and can be found in the plasma of HIV-1-infected individuals. Therefore, we evaluated TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-6 levels in the plasma of African patients with different stages of HIV-2 disease. This was a 3-year prospective follow-up study. METHODS: Cytokine plasma levels were assayed in 40 HIV-2- and 51 HIV-1-infected patients from Africa. Nineteen of the 40 HIV-2-infected-patients underwent serial assays every 4 months for 3 years. Data were analysed in relation to the number of CD4+ and CD8+ cells, viral load and clinical status. RESULTS: Plasma levels of TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta were significantly higher in all the HIV-1- and HIV-2-infected patients than in healthy controls; IL-6 levels were around the detection limit for all patients. TNF-alpha levels were lower in the HIV-2-infected than in the HIV-1-infected patients at all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disease stages, including the asymptomatic phase. The CD4+ cell count was always higher in the HIV-2-infected patients, regardless of CDC stage. The prospective follow-up showed that TNF-alpha levels remained stable during the course of HIV-2 disease, as did the CD4+ cell count and virus load. CONCLUSION: Lower and stable plasma TNF-alpha levels in African patients infected with HIV-2, associated with lower viral load and higher CD4+ cell count, suggests the existence of a more appropriate and efficient immune response to HIV-2 than to HIV-1.
Keywords: Adult Africa, Central Africa, Western AIDS Serodiagnosis Cytokines/*BLOOD Disease Progression Follow-Up Studies Human HIV Infections/*BLOOD *HIV-1 *HIV-2 Interleukin-1/BLOOD Interleukin-6/BLOOD Lymphocyte Count Lymphocyte Subsets/MICROBIOLOGY Prospective Studies Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Tumor Necrosis Factor/ANALYSIS Viremia/MICROBIOLOGY JOURNAL ARTICLEKWDadultafrica,centralafrica,westernaidsserodiagnosiscytokines/KWDblooddiseaseprogressionfollow-upstudieshumanhivinfections/KWDbloodKWDhiv-1KWDhiv-2interleukin-1/bloodinterleukin-6/bloodlymphocytecountlymphocytesubsets/microbiologyprospectivestudiessupport,non-uKWDsKWDgov'ttumornecrosisfactor/analysisviremia/microbiologyjournalarticle
950228
M9521009

Copyright © 1995 - National Library of Medicine. Reproduced under license with the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

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