Impact of opportunistic Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection on the phenotype of peripheral blood T cells of AIDS patients.
While the detrimental consequences of opportunistic tuberculosis (TB) in the course and outcome of HIV-1 infection are well studied, little information about the impact of the mycobacterial infection on the phenotype of T lymphocytes is available. In this study we analyzed by cytofluorimetry the peripheral blood T cell phenotype of 13 patients with AIDS, 23 HIV-1 negative patients with active pulmonary TB, nine HIV-1/Mycobacterium tuberculosis coinfected individuals, and 21 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. CD4+ T cells were equally depleted in AIDS and coinfection (P<0.001). The findings suggest a rescuing effect of the added mycobacterial infection. CD3 T cell loss was not observed in coinfection, whereas it was severe in AIDS (P<0.001). Similar (albeit less striking) effects were observed with other markers (CD45RA, CD45RO, and CD27) that were diminished in CD4+ T cells of AIDS patients. Apparent detrimental effects of the added mycobacterial infection were the increased expression of the proapoptotic molecule CD95 on CD4+ T cells, and decreased expression of the major costimulatory molecule CD28 on CD8+ T cells. In this work we show that M. tuberculosis infection modifies the T cell phenotype of the HIV-1 infected individual.
Bernal-Fernández
Germán
G
Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.
Hermida
Carlos
C
Espinosa-Cueto
Patricia
P
Cubilla-Tejeda
Ana Cristina
AC
Salazar-González
Jesús Fidel
JF
Ortiz-Ortiz
Librado
L
Leyva-Meza
Rosario
R
Diaz-Silvestre
Hugo
H
Mancilla
Raul
R
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology