Open AccessRaised levels of tumour necrosis factor‐alpha and neopterin, but not interferon‐alpha, in serum of HIV‐1‐infected patients from Ethiopia
Author(s) -
AYEHUNIE S.,
SONNERBORG A.,
YEMANEBERHAN T.,
ZEWDlE D. W.,
BRITTON S.,
STRANNEGARD O.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
clinical & experimental immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1365-2249
pISSN - 0009-9104
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1993.tb03350.x
Subject(s) - neopterin , asymptomatic , immunology , medicine , immunoradiometric assay , tumor necrosis factor alpha , interferon gamma , alpha interferon , immune system , immunopathology , cytokine , interferon , radioimmunoassay
SUMMARY Serum levels of tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α). neopterin and interferon‐alpha (IFN‐α) were determined by immunoradiometric assays in 60 HIV‐1 + and 20 HIV‐1 − subjects from Ethiopia. Swedish samples were used as reference material. The Ethiopian HIV‐1‘ subjects were found to have significantly increased TNF‐α and neopterin, but not IFN‐α levels. Increased levels of TNF‐α and neopterin were frequently found in Ethiopian asymptomatic subjects (37% and 41%). and the concentration increased in patients with AIDS (83% and 90% respectively). The levels of the two substances and the proportion of patients with higher TNF‐α values were lower in the corresponding Swedish subjects. The proportion of sera with raised levels of I FN‐α was very low (asymptomatic 4%, and AIDS 7%) in Ethiopian subjects. These results suggest a very early increase in the TNF‐α production and activation of the cellular immune response, and a low level of IFN‐α synthesis in the natural course of HIV infection in Ethiopia. The aberrations may contribute to a rapid progress of immunodeficiency and cachexia often seen in Ethiopian patients.