D. Wolday et al., LIVE AND KILLED HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 INCREASES THE INTRACELLULAR GROWTH OF LEISHMANIA-DONOVANI IN MONOCYTE-DERIVED CELLS, Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases, 30(1), 1998, pp. 29-34
We coincubated killed or live human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV
-1) with human monocyte-derived cells infected with Leishmania donovan
i and examined the effect of the virus preparations on the intracellul
ar growth of the parasite. We found that there was significant enhance
ment (by a mean of 53%, p < 0.001) of intracellular L, donovani growth
in the human monocytic leukaemia THP-I cell line coincubated with kil
led HIV-I. Infection of peripheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages
with live HIV-I initiated after L, donovani infection led to an increa
se in intracellular parasites by an overall mean of 2,8% vs 4.9% (p<0.
01) at 2 and 5 d after HIV infection in L, donovani and L, donovani pl
us HIV-1 infected, respectively, and by an overall mean of 5.0% vs 13.
3% (p < 0.001) at 5, 12 and 15 d after HIV-1 infection in L. donovani
and L, donovani + HIV-1 infected, respectively. Further, L, donovani i
nfection 2 d after infection with HIV-I led to enhanced parasite growt
h (34.5%, p < 0.001) compared with cells infected with L, donovani alo
ne (5,5%), and those where HIV-1 mas added after L, donovani (18.1%),
In all cases, HIV-1 from live and killed virus preparations led to dec
reased anti-leishmanial activity of the macrophages as evidenced by de
creased control of intracellular multiplication. The findings may sugg
est a mechanism not requiring live virus to explain hen; HIV-1 coinfec
tion may impair the control of intracellular Leishmania growth in indi
viduals with pre-existing asymptomatic infection leading to the reacti
vation of the parasite. Moreover, patients with HIV-1 infection might
be at increased risk of developing Leishmania infection.