Plasma levels of viro-immunological markers in HIV-infected and noninfected ethiopians: Correlation with cell surface activation markers

Cross-sectional studies were conducted to measure soluble viral and immunol ogical markers in plasma in order to determine the prognostic value of thes e markers for HIV disease progression in Ethiopians and to see their associ ation with cell surface markers in HIV-1-infected and noninfected Ethiopian s. Whole blood samples were collected from 52 HIV-1-negative Ethiopians, 32 HIV-1-positive Ethiopians with absolute CD4(+) T-cell count >200/mul whole blood and no AIDS defining conditions, and 39 HIV-positive Ethiopians with CD4(+) T-cell count <200/<mu>l and/or AIDS defining conditions. Plasma lev els of b(2)-microglobulin (b(2)m), soluble CD27 (sCD27), soluble tumor necr osis factor alpha receptor type II (sTNFR-II), IgG, IgA, IGE, and IL12 were elevated in HIV-1-infected individuals. The plasma levels of sTNFR-II, sCD 27, b(2)m, IL12, and IgG were inversely correlated with numbers of CD4(+) T -cells, the proportion of naive (CD45RA(+)CD27(+)) CD8(+) T-cells, and the proportion of CD8(+) T-cells expressing CD28 (CD8(+)CD28(+)) were positivel y correlated with the proportions of activated (HLA-DR(+)CD38(+)) CD4(+) T- cells, as well as activated (HLA-DR(+)CD38(+)) CD8(+) T-cells. A strong pos itive correlation was also observed when soluble immune markers were compar ed to each other. Multivariate regression analyses of soluble markers with numbers of CD4(+) T-cells showed that sCD27 is the best independent marker for CD4(+) T-cell decline in the HIV-1-infected Ethiopians. Our results ind icate that measurement of soluble immune markers, which is relatively easy to perform, could be a good alternative to the quantification of T-cell sub sets for monitoring HIV-1 disease progression in places where there is no f acility for how cytometric measurements. (C) 2001 Academic Press.