Phase-1 studies of malariotherapy for HIV infecton.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether malariotherapy (an old therapy for treatment of neurosyphilis) improves some clinical and laboratory parameters of HIV-positive patients without iatrogenic complications.


METHODS
Total 8 asymptomatic HIV-1 positive subjects whose CD4 cell counts were over 250 x 10(6) cells/L were selected for the phase-1 studies of malariotherapy and were intravenously injected Plasmodia vivax to induce artificial malaria. Malaria was terminated with chloroquine after 10 to approximately 20 malarial fever episodes. Cell-bound CD4 levels were measured by APAAP (a solid-phase enzyme essay) and levels of neopterin (NPT), beta-2-microglobulin (B2M), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-2 (sTNF-RII), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and HIV P24 antigen were measured by ELISA. Patients were followed up to 24 to approximately 30 months.


RESULTS
CD4 levels increased in 5, NPT decreased in 7 of 8 patients; IL-2 increased in 5 of 6 patients after malariotherapy. The total trends of B2M and sTNF-RII basically remained stable. HIV P24 antigen remained undetectable in 6, remained detectably low level in 1 and experienced increase in 1 of 8 patients after malariotherapy. No any severe complications occurred in all 8 patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that malariotherapy basically is safe for HIV infection and it seems that the therapy improves some immunological parameters of HIV patients.
Chen
X
X
The Municipal Health and Anti-Epidemic Station of Guangzhou, Guangzhou 510080.
Heimlich
H J
HJ
Xiao
B
B
Liu
S
S
Lu
Y
Y
Rao
J
J
Spletzer
E G
EG
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000097:blood; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000628:therapy*; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced; D008288:Malaria / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D019798:Neopterin / Q000097:blood; D010966:Plasmodium vivax; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000097:blood; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin / Q000097:blood
D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin; D019798:Neopterin