Anti-cardiolipin antibodies are associated with anti-endothelial cell antibodies but not with anti-beta 2 glycoprotein I antibodies in HIV infection.
HIV infection is associated with polyclonal increase in serum immunoglobulins and with elevated titers of serum antibodies to a variety of self antigens, including anti-phospholipid antibodies. In the present study, we found a high prevalence of 46.8% of serum IgG anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) in a group of 111 unselected HIV-seropositive individuals. The presence of ACA was correlated with that of IgG antibodies to endothelial cells (AECA) but not with that of anti-beta 2 glycoprotein I antibodies, that were only found in 7.4% of the patients. The presence of IgG ACA was not associated with detectable lupus anticoagulant activity, nor with a history of thrombosis. Serum titers of ACA were not correlated with absolute numbers of circulating CD4+ cells. We found no relationship between the presence and titers of ACA, hypergammaglobulinemia, and serum titers of natural IgG autoantibodies to a panel of self antigens. Our results suggest that increased titers of ACA in HIV infection result from a biased expansion of B cell clones producing natural autoantibodies.
Weiss
L
L
Service d'Immunologie, Hôpital Broussais, Paris, France.
You
J F
JF
Giral
P
P
Alhenc-Gelas
M
M
Senger
D
D
Kazatchkine
M D
MD
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D002308:Cardiolipins / Q000276:immunology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D016682:Lupus Coagulation Inhibitor / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053482:beta 2-Glycoprotein I
D001323:Autoantibodies; D002308:Cardiolipins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D016682:Lupus Coagulation Inhibitor; D053482:beta 2-Glycoprotein I