Partial Restoration of Cytokine Profile Despite Reconstitution of Cytomegalovirus‐Specific Cell‐Mediated Immunity in Human Immunodeficiency Virus‐Infected Patients During Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of immunology 2003-04, Vol.57 (4), p.375-383
• Main Authors: Alfonzo, M., Blanc, D., Troadec, C., Eliaszewicz, M., Gónzalez, G., Scott‐Algara, D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Antigens, Viral - immunology; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - cytology; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - metabolism; Cell Division - immunology; Cohort Studies; Cytokines - metabolism; Cytomegalovirus - immunology; Cytomegalovirus - metabolism; Cytomegalovirus Infections - drug therapy; Cytomegalovirus Infections - immunology; Cytomegalovirus Infections - virology; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Flow Cytometry; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - immunology; HIV Infections - virology; HIV-1 - immunology; HIV-1 - metabolism; Humans; Prospective Studies; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Viral - blood; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic - immunology
• ISSN: 0300-9475; 1365-3083
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-3083.2003.01234.x

We reconstituted cytomegalovirus (CMV)‐specific T‐cell responses in human immunodeficiency virus‐1‐positive, CMV‐positive patients receiving highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). We used several combinations of functionality parameters to determine the degree of T‐lymphocyte reconstitution obtained during 1 year of treatment. Untreated patients displayed CMV‐specific cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte (CTL) activity despite the absence of CMV‐specific lymphoproliferative responses (LPRs) and despite the fact that interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) and interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) were not secreted. The absence of LPRs, IFN‐γ and IL‐2 before antiretroviral treatment suggests that CMV‐specific immunity was deregulated despite the high CD4+ T‐cell counts presented by our cohort, which are critical to the reactivation of CMV disease. After 6 months of HAART, CTL activity had increased compared with the baseline, as had the levels of secreted IFN‐γ and LPR. However, the levels of specific IL‐2 produced did not change during therapy, and no specific IL‐2 was detected during the follow‐up period. Taken together, our findings suggest that 1 year of HAART led to the recovery of some, but not all, CMV‐specific responses in our cohort of patients.