Effect of hepatitis C virus coinfection on humoral immune alterations in naïve HIV-infected adults on HAART: a three year follow-up study.
Whether HAART allows complete recovery of humoral immune function in HIV-infected individuals is still controversial. Our objective was to study the effect of HAART on both B cell repopulation and hypergammaglobulinemia in 72 naïve patients, including 35 HCV-coinfected individuals, during 156 weeks on HAART. The possible role of HCV coinfection on the recovery of the humoral immune system was also investigated. At baseline, HCV-coinfected patients had greater circulant IgG levels than HIV-only-infected patients, while B cell count and CD21(low) B cell subpopulation were similar in both groups. During HAART, HIV-only-infected patients reached normal B cell counts and circulant IgG levels, while HCV-coinfected individuals did not. CD21(low) B cell subpopulation significantly decreased in both groups of patients at week 48 after the initiation of HAART compared to baseline. Thus, B cells remained continuously stimulated in HCV-coinfected patients and this stimulation seemed to be through a CD21-independent pathway.
Group for the Study of Viral Hepatitis and AIDS, Service of Internal Medicine, Virgen del Rocio University Hospital, Seville, Spain.
Natalia
N
Soriano-Sarabia
Manuel
M
Leal
Carmen
C
Delgado
Sonia
S
Molina-Pinelo
Beatriz
B
De Felipe
Ezequiel
E
Ruiz-Mateos
Armando
A
Sánchez-Quijano
Eduardo
E
Lissen
Alejandro
A
Vallejo
D000328:Adult; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006942:Hypergammaglobulinemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d; D012038:Regeneration
D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d