OBJECTIVE To characterize changes of Th1/Th2 cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) that occur during the course of HIV infection by cytoplasmic cytokine staining on single cell level. DESIGN AND METHODS Mitogen-stimulated PBMC from 16 healthy donors, 18 HIV-1-infected individuals without AIDS and 14 patients with AIDS were stained intracellularly with fluorescein-la...

Interleukin (IL)-18 is an interferon (IFN)-gamma-inducing factor and contributes to the Th1 immune response. IL-18 added after infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with monocyte-tropic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) inhibited p24 antigen production by a maximum of 72%. IFN-gamma levels in these cultures were increased, and a significant inverse relationship betwee...

Mechanisms leading to the observed immune dysregulation in HIV-1 infection are not well understood. HIV-specific IL-10-positive CD8(+) T cells are increased in advanced HIV disease. We have previously reported that Gag-specific IL-10-positive CD8(+) T cells suppressed cytolysis. In this study we describe the suppressive effect of Nef-specific IL-10-positive CD8(+) T cells. Interestingly, simult...

Evidences indicate that pregnancy can alter the Ag-specific T-cell responses. This work aims to evaluate the impact of pregnancy on the in vitro HIV-1-specific immune response. As compared with non-pregnant patients, lower T-cell proliferation and higher IL-10 production were observed in T-cell cultures from pregnant patients following addition of either mitogens or HIV-1 antigens. In our syste...

The influence of human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type II (HTLV-II) in individuals also infected with HIV-1 is poorly understood. To evaluate the reciprocal influence of HTLV-II and HIV-1 infection, primary peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures from coinfected individuals were established in the presence of interleukin 2 (IL-2). In these cultures, the kinetics of HTLV-II replica...

UNLABELLED Particular types of hormonal contraceptives (HCs) and genital tract infections have been independently associated with risk of HIV-1 acquisition. We examined whether immunity in women using injectable depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), combined oral contraceptives (COC), or no HCs differs by the presence of cervicovaginal infections. Immune mediators were quantified in cervica...

To characterize changes in serum cytokine levels in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected persons with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) bacteremia, the levels of IL-1alpha (interleukin-1alpha), IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), soluble type II TNF receptor (sTNF-RII), and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) in serum were measured in two cohorts of HIV-...

Tuberculosis causes more extensive and life-threatening disease in patients with HIV infection than in immunocompetent persons. To investigate the hypothesis that these severe manifestations of tuberculosis may be due to alterations in cytokine production, we evaluated cytokine patterns in HIV-infected tuberculosis patients. Upon stimulation with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro, PBMC from H...

Cells of the macrophage lineage (MAC) play an important role in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. However, the knowledge on the extent of macrophage involvement in the pathogenesis of HIV infection is still incomplete. In this study we examined the secretory repertoire of HIV-infected MAC with respect to the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleu...

IL-10-producing T cells have been shown to inhibit Ag-specific CD8+ T cell responses, and may play a role in the immune dysregulation observed in HIV-1 infection. We characterized the Gag-specific IL-10 responses by CD8+ T cells in HIV-1-positive volunteers from Uganda. HIV-specific IL-10 responses were detected in 32 of 61 (52.4%) antiretroviral naive and 2 of 15 (13.3%) volunteers with a comp...