title: Comparison of plasma cytokine levels in African patients with HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection.
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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U294, Department of Immunology and Biological Haematology, CHU Bichat-Claude Bernard, Paris, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chollet-Martin
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matheron
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Elbim
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gougerot-Pocidalo
mesh_terms: D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis; D000328:Adult; D000350:Africa, Central; D000354:Africa, Western; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood*; D015497:HIV-1; D015498:HIV-2; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000382:microbiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis; D014766:Viremia / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha