Objectives: Assessment of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of protein tau i
n human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. Material and metho
ds: CSF tau levels were analyzed in 52 HIV-1-infected patients, 37 of whom
had no neurological symptoms, eight had aquired immunodeficiency syndrome (
AIDS) dementia complex (ADC), and seven had AIDS with other neurological co
mplications. Results: A significantly higher mean CSF tau concentration was
found in patients with ADC (380 pg/ml) compared with patients with neuroas
ymptomatic HIV-1 infection (120 pg/ml, P < 0.01) and HIV-negative controls
(150 pg/ml, P < 0.05). No difference in CSF tau levels was found between pa
tients with ADC and patients with AIDS with other neurological complication
s. Conclusion: CSF tau might be used as a biochemical marker for axonal deg
eneration and might be of use to identify HIV-1-infected patients with ADC
and other neurological complications, but it cannot discriminate between AD
C and other neurological complications in HIV-1-infection. (C) 1999 Elsevie
r Science B.V. All rights reserved.