title: Role of protease inhibitors in preventing recurrent oral candidosis in patients with HIV infection: a prospective case-control study.
abstract: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) in preventing recurrence of oral candidosis (OC) associated with HIV. A prospective case-controlled observational study was performed in an inner-city university-hospital HIV/AIDS clinic. Ninety-three HIV-positive study subjects with a history of recurrent OC were divided into two groups: protease inhibitors (PI)-treated patients (group 1, n = 30) and non-PI-treated patients (group 2, n = 63). Study subjects were matched for sex, age, stage of HIV infection, and peripheral CD4+ T-cell counts. The non-PI-treated group was further subdivided into the following three subgroups: HIV-positive study subjects treated with reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTI; groups 2a and 2c) and HIV-positive study subjects not treated with RTIs (group 2b). Group 2c met the same inclusion criteria as group 2a had but was matched 6 months after the beginning of the study. We also assessed in vitro peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and their lymphoproliferative response, as well as cutaneous delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to Candida-associated antigens in a randomly selected sample of study subjects divided into those treated with PIs and those who were not. During a 1-year follow-up, OC was diagnosed in 2 (7%) PI-treated and 23 (36%) non-PI-treated patients (p<.001). In addition to comparing findings in group 1 with those in group 2c, OC was detected in 14 (50%) non-PI-treated patients compared with no HAART-treated study subjects (p<.001). Only 41% of PI-treated study subjects had positive lymphoproliferative response in PBMCs and none was positive in terms of DTH to Candida antigens (p = not significant versus non-PI-treated study subjects). While objectively demonstrating a beneficial effect of HAART in preventing recurrence of OC infections, our findings suggest this effect cannot be not fully accounted for by reconstitution of anti-Candida cell-mediated immunity, given that other mechanisms, even of a nonimmune nature, could have some effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cauda
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tacconelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tumbarello
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morace
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Bernardis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torosantucci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cassone
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000946:Antigens, Fungal / Q000276:immunology; D002175:Candida / Q000276:immunology; D002180:Candidiasis, Oral / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D011480:Protease Inhibitors