Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Objective
Candida esophagitis belongs to the most common AIDS-defining diseases; however, a comprehensive immune pathogenic concept is lacking.Design
We investigated the immune status of 37 HIV-1-infected patients from the Swiss HIV cohort study at diagnosis of Candida esophagitis, 1 year before, 1 year later and after 2 years of suppressed HIV RNA. We compared these patients with three groups: 37 HIV-1-infected patients without Candida esophagitis but similar CD4 cell counts as the patients at diagnosis (advanced HIV group), 15 HIV-1-infected patients with CD4 cell counts higher than 500 cells/?l, CD4 cell nadirs higher than 350 cells/?l and suppressed HIV RNA under combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) (early cART group) and 20 healthy individuals.Methods
We investigated phenotype, cytokine production and proliferative capacity of different immune cells by flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot.Results
We found that patients with Candida esophagitis had nearly abolished CD4 cell proliferation in response to Candida albicans, significantly increased percentages of dysfunctional CD4 cells, significantly decreased cytotoxic natural killer cell counts and peripheral innate lymphoid cell counts and significantly reduced IFN-? and IL-17 production compared with the early cART group and healthy individuals. Most of these defects remained for more than 2 years despite viral suppression. The advanced HIV group without opportunistic infection showed partly improved immune recovery.Conclusion
Our data indicate that Candida esophagitis in HIV-1-infected patients is caused by an accumulation of multiple, partly Candida-specific immunological defects. Long-term immune recovery is impaired, illustrating that specific immunological gaps persist despite cART. These data also support the rationale for early cART initiation to prevent irreversible immune defects.
SUBMITTER: Stuehler C
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4949004 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Stuehler Claudia C Bernardini Claudia C Elzi Luigia L Stoeckle Marcel M Zimmerli Stefan S Furrer Hansjakob H Günthard Huldrych F HF Leibundgut-Landmann Salomé S Battegay Manuel M Khanna Nina N
AIDS (London, England) 20160701 12
<h4>Objective</h4>Candida esophagitis belongs to the most common AIDS-defining diseases; however, a comprehensive immune pathogenic concept is lacking.<h4>Design</h4>We investigated the immune status of 37 HIV-1-infected patients from the Swiss HIV cohort study at diagnosis of Candida esophagitis, 1 year before, 1 year later and after 2 years of suppressed HIV RNA. We compared these patients with three groups: 37 HIV-1-infected patients without Candida esophagitis but similar CD4 cell counts as ...[more]