B Cell Compartmentalization in Blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid of HIV-Infected Ugandans with Cryptococcal Meningitis

• Published in: Infection and immunity 2020-02, Vol.88 (3)
• Main Authors: Okurut, Samuel, Meya, David B, Bwanga, Freddie, Olobo, Joseph, Eller, Michael A, Cham-Jallow, Fatim, Bohjanen, Paul R, Pratap, Harsh, Palmer, Brent E, Hullsiek, Katharine H, Manabe, Yukari C, Boulware, David R, Janoff, Edward N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; B-Lymphocytes - immunology; Case-Control Studies; Cell Compartmentation - immunology; Cerebrospinal Fluid - immunology; Coinfection; Female; HIV Infections - complications; HIV Infections - immunology; Host Response and Inflammation; Humans; Male; Meningitis, Cryptococcal - blood; Meningitis, Cryptococcal - cerebrospinal fluid; Meningitis, Cryptococcal - immunology; Middle Aged; Viral Load
• ISSN: 0019-9567; 1098-5522
• DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00779-19

Activated B cells modulate infection by differentiating into pathogen-specific antibody-producing effector plasmablasts/plasma cells, memory cells, and immune regulatory B cells. In this context, the B cell phenotypes that infiltrate the central nervous system during human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and cryptococcal meningitis coinfection are ill defined. We characterized clinical parameters, mortality, and B cell phenotypes in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by flow cytometry in HIV-infected adults with cryptococcal (  = 31) and noncryptococcal (  = 12) meningitis and in heathy control subjects with neither infection (  = 10). Activation of circulating B cells (CD21 ) was significantly higher in the blood of subjects with HIV infection than in that of healthy controls and greater yet in matched CSF B cells (