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Susceptibility to opportunistic infections in HIV-infected patients with increased CD4 T-cell counts on antiretroviral therapy may be predicted by markers of dysfunctional effector memory CD4 T cells and B cells
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Susceptibility to opportunistic infections in HIV-infected patients with increased CD4 T-cell counts on antiretroviral therapy may be predicted by markers of dysfunctional effector memory CD4 T cells and B cells

M.A. French, N.M. Keane, E.J. McKinnon, S. Phung and P. Price
HIV Medicine, Vol.8(3), pp.148-155
04/2007
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Abstract

Objectives: HIV-infected patients responding to combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) after experiencing severe immunodeficiency may exhibit persistent immune defects and occasionally experience opportunistic infections (OIs) despite increased CD4 T-cell counts. The investigation of immune defects in such patients was examined in this study. Methods: CD4 effector memory T-cell (T em-cell) function [assessed by blood cytomegalovirus (CMV) interferon-γ (IFN-γ) enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot-forming cell assay (ELISPOT) counts] and B-cell dysregulation [assessed by serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgE levels] were examined in 27 patients with increased CD4 T-cell counts after receiving ART for over 2 years. Two of these patients and one other had developed OIs on ART and are described in detail. Results: Serum levels of IgA and IgE were higher than reference intervals (P<0.001) and CMV IFN-γ ELISPOT counts were lower than those in non-HIV-infected controls (P<0.001) in the HIV-infected patients. Low CMV IFN-γ ELISPOT counts were associated with high IgA levels (r = -0.5, P = 0.01, Spearman's correlation test) and segregated with high IgE levels (P = 0.06, Fisher's test). CMV IFN-γ ELISPOT counts and serum IgA and IgE levels did not change significantly over a median time of 35 (range 8-60) months after the first measurement, whereas CD4 T-cell counts increased. All three patients who experienced OIs had repeatedly low CMV IFN-γ ELISPOT counts and increased serum levels of IgA and/or IgE. Conclusion: Low CD4 T em-cell function and B-cell dysregulation are immune defects that may persist independently of changes in the CD4 T-cell count in HIV-1-infected patients responding to ART and are associated with an increased risk of developing an OI.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Citation topics
1 Clinical & Life Sciences
1.66 HIV
1.66.46 HIV Pathogenesis
Web Of Science research areas
Infectious Diseases
ESI research areas
Immunology
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