HIV--Leishmania infantum co-infection: humoral and cellular immune responses to the parasite after chemotherapy.
Specific serum antibodies, peripheral blood T-cell subsets, cellular response in vitro to soluble Leishmania antigens, phenotype of stimulated cells, and serum levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 were studied in Spain in 17 patients co-infected with HIV and Leishmania infantum who had been previously treated with pentavalent antimony. Both humoral and cellular responses to Leishmania sp. appeared diminished, 8 out of 17 patients were positive by indirect immunofluorescence, and immunoblotting detected heterogeneous antibody-binding pattern in 11 out of 13 subjects. A blastogenesis test was positive in 4 cases; 2 of them presented proliferation of CD4+ cells while CD8+ cells proliferated in the other 2 patients. Serum levels of TNF-alpha were similar to those observed in patients infected with HIV only, while serum levels of TGF-beta 1 were significantly lower in the co-infected patients. The inability of antibody response to control the parasite and the absence of specific T-cell immunity to Leishmania sp. would explain the high frequency of relapses reported in these patients. The decreased levels of TGF-beta 1 could have an important role in the interaction between the 2 pathogens.
Moreno
J
J
WHO Collaborating Centre for Leishmaniasis, Research Unit in Tropical Medicine and International Health (FIS-ISCIII), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain. fjmoreno@isciii.es
Cañavate
C
C
Chamizo
C
C
Laguna
F
F
Alvar
J
J
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis*; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000276:immunology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D016207:Cytokines