title: The effect of tuberculin skin testing on viral load and anti-mycobacterial immune responses in HIV-1-infected Ugandan adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether tuberculin skin testing (TST) is associated with an increase in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral load, and to examine the effect of TST on anti-mycobacterial immune responses.
  
  
  METHODS
  A nested cohort study of HIV-1-infected adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two participants (21 TST-positive and 21 TST-negative) from a larger cohort were recruited to the study. Blood was collected for CD4+ T-cell count, whole blood was cultured, and plasma saved for viral load. These measurements were taken before, 3 days after, 3 months after, and 3 months plus 3 days after TST. Cytokine responses to culture filtrate proteins (CFP) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) were examined in the whole blood assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-nine participants attended all four visits. No statistically significant change in viral load, CD4+ T-cell count, or cytokine response to PHA was observed at any visit. However, TST was associated with a transient increase in the interferon-gamma response to CFP and a lasting increase in the interleukin-5 response to CFP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There appeared to be a systemic effect of TST on the anti-tuberculosis immune response.
authors.affiliation: MRC Programme on AIDS in Uganda, Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda. mrc@mrcuganda.org
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Mawa
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pickering
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Miiro
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Namujju
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Watera
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Anyaegani
authors.forename: J A G
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Whitworth
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Elliott
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*; D014373:Tuberculin / Q000276:immunology*; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D015848:Interleukin-5; D014373:Tuberculin; D007371:Interferon-gamma