Cerebrospinal fluid HIV-1 RNA levels: correlation with HIV encephalitis. NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

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Cerebrospinal fluid HIV-1 RNA levels: correlation with HIV encephalitis.

AIDS. 1998 Mar 5;12(4):389-94. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/98178990
Cinque P; Vago L; Ceresa D; Mainini F; Terreni MR; Vagani A; Torri W; Bossolasco S; Lazzarin A; Infectious Diseases Division, San Raffaele Scientific Institute,; Milan, Italy.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Neuropathological abnormalities induced by HIV-1 are not always predictable on the basis of the presence of HIV-related neurological symptoms. HIV-1 RNA load was measured in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of HIV-infected patients to verify whether it could be a marker of HIV-induced neuropathology. DESIGN AND METHODS: Histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of the brain for HIV-1 p24 antigen was performed in 50 HIV-infected patients with neurological symptoms; patients were defined as having HIV encephalitis in the presence of HIV-related lesions or HIV-1 p24 antigen-positive cells. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction for HIV-1 RNA was retrospectively applied to CSF samples that had been drawn 1-60 days prior to death from these 50 patients; paired plasma samples of 28 patients were also analysed. RESULTS: The CSF HIV-1 RNA copy numbers were significantly higher in 22 patients with HIV encephalitis than in 28 patients without (median, 4.77 log10 versus 3.45 log10 copies/ml; P = 0.0003). No correlation was found between CSF HIV-1 RNA load and the presence of opportunistic brain pathologies at post-mortem examination or between HIV-1 RNA loads in paired CSF and plasma samples. CONCLUSIONS: High CSF HIV-1 RNA levels are associated with HIV encephalitis, regardless of the presence of opportunistic brain diseases or HIV-1 RNA levels in plasma. Quantitative CSF HIV-1 RNA may therefore be used as a specific marker of HIV-induced neuropathology.
Keywords: *Brain/VIROLOGY *Cerebrospinal Fluid/VIROLOGY *HIV-1/PHYSIOLOGY *RNA, Viral/CEREBROSPINAL FLUID

KWDbrain/virologyKWDcerebrospinalfluid/virologyKWDhiv-1/physiologyKWDrna,viral/cerebrospinalfluid
980730
M9871401

Copyright © 1998 - National Library of Medicine. Reproduced under license with the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

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