Antenatal and postpartum immunological markers levels in women with HIV infection and malnutrition in a low resource setting: A pilot study

Objectives: Both, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and malnutrition are major challenges in pregnancy postpartum low-resource settings the respective cytokine levels remain poorly described. The main objectives of this study were to find immune markers that associated with HIV pregnant women determine how these would change at 14 weeks postpartum.Method: Pregnant least 20 gestational age enrolled into longitudinal observational single centre pilot 4 primary health clinics high-density areas around Harare, Zimbabwe. Socio-demographic clinical data including plasma samples collected (PP). Mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) ≤23 cm was used as an indicator for malnourishment. Fifty-six cytokines chemokines assayed using Mesoscale multiplex assay. We determined cytokine/chemokine vascular injury HIV-infection malnutrition. Associations remaining significant after multiple test correction confirmed multivariable analyses controlling confounders.Results: Ninety-seven recruited from these, 44 randomly selected assaying which infected, 15 malnourished, 9 well-nourished uninfected participants. significantly higher interleukin (IL)-4 ( q < 0.05) IL-10 0.001) pregnancy. Longitudinally, IL-4 0.01) increased whilst HIV-infected both non-significantly decreased. IL-8 (q PP. Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (VCAM-1) interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) lower malnourished PP, respectively. Conclusions: IL-4, IL-8, IL-10, VCAM-1 potential biomarkers monitoring functioning However, studies larger sample size warranted confirm findings.