title: Serum chemokine profiles in visceral leishmaniasis, HIV and HIV/ visceral leishmaniasis co-infected Ethiopian patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The search for a correlation between chemokine levels in plasma or serum and protection from HIV infection or progression to AIDS has been attempted by a number of workers. Chemokines are also suggested to play a role in immunity to Leishmania and Leishmania co-infection with HIV.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess plasma level of alpha chemokine (CXCL12, formerly known as SDF-1alpha) and beta chemokines (CCL3, CCL4 and CCL5, formerly known as MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta and RANTES, respectively) in HIV Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) and HIV/VL coinfection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frozen serum samples from a cross sectional study were used. The samples (n = 80) were comprised of healthy controls (n = 20), HIV patients (n = 20); Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) patients (n = 22), and HIV/VL coinfected patients (n = 18). Chemokine levels of MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta, RANTES, and SDF-1alpha of the serum samples were determined using ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MIP-1alpha and MIP-1beta expression were significantly elevated in Leishmania infected (p < 0.001) and in HIV/ VL co-infected individuals (p < 0.001) as compared to the control groups, while no significant difference was seen between HIV infected patients p > 0.05, implying that VL alone might modulate the production of these two chemokines in the case of co-infection In RANTES, however, its expression was significantly higher in HIV patients compared to controls (p = 0.002). Further assessment of serum RANTES concentration in HIV patients has shown a tendency of negative association with viral load. Higher amount of the alpha chemokine, SDF-1alpha, was detected in the HIV patients (p = 0.001) than the control group. Also a trend of positive association between SDF-1alpha and CD4 count was observed
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From our data we can speculate that RANTES and SDF-1alpha might be involved in the regulation of HIV; and MIP-1alpha and MIP-1beta in VL. Therefore, enhancing or suppressing the production of these chemokines might help in therapeutic intervention of VL or HIV.
authors: Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, P. o. Box 1176.
authors: Zufan
authors: Z
authors: Sisay
authors: Nega
authors: N
authors: Berhe
authors: Beyene
authors: B
authors: Petros
authors: Belete
authors: B
authors: Tegbaru
authors: Tsehaynesh
authors: T
authors: Messele
authors: Asrat
authors: A
authors: Hailu
authors: Dawit
authors: D
authors: Wolday
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections; D000328:Adult; D000372:Agglutination Tests; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015153:Blotting, Western; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019742:Chemokines, CC / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019742:Chemokines, CC; D012367:RNA, Viral