title: Raised levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha and neopterin, but not interferon-alpha, in serum of HIV-1-infected patients from Ethiopia.
abstract: Serum levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), neopterin and interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) were determined by immunoradiometric assays in 60 HIV-1+ and 20 HIV-1- subjects from Ethiopia. Swedish samples were used as reference material. The Ethiopian HIV-1+ subjects were found to have significantly increased TNF-alpha and neopterin, but not IFN-alpha levels. Increased levels of TNF-alpha and neopterin were frequently found in Ethiopian asymptomatic subjects (37% and 47%), and the concentration increased in patients with AIDS (83% and 90% respectively). The levels of the two substances and the proportion of patients with higher TNF-alpha values were lower in the corresponding Swedish subjects. The proportion of sera with raised levels of IFN-alpha was very low (asymptomatic 4%, and AIDS 7%) in Ethiopian subjects. These results suggest a very early increase in the TNF-alpha production and activation of the cellular immune response, and a low level of IFN-alpha synthesis in the natural course of HIV infection in Ethiopia. The aberrations may contribute to a rapid progress of immunodeficiency and cachexia often seen in Ethiopian patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ayehunie
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sonnerborg
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yemane-Berhan
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Zewdie
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Britton
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Strannegard
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001708:Biopterins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D005002:Ethiopia; D005260:Female; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019798:Neopterin; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D001708:Biopterins; D019798:Neopterin