Levels of Cytokines and Immune Activation Markers in Plasma in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: Quality Control Procedures

Procedures for quality control (QC) in a laboratory that concentrates on cytokine and soluble marker measurements in biological fluids are outlined. Intra-assay, interassay, and interlaboratory experiences are presented. Plasma and serum β2-microglobulin (β2M) and neopterin test data are presented in greatest detail, along with substantial tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), gamma interferon, soluble interleukin-2 receptor-α (sIL-2Rα), sTNF-RII, IL-4, and IL-6 data. Recommended QC procedures for cytokine and soluble-marker testing include replicate testing of two or more reference samples provided by the kit manufacturer, replicate testing of in-house frozen reference QC samples that represent normal and abnormal analyte contents, retesting 15 to 20% of randomly selected samples, and comparing normal reference ranges each year. Also, eight cytokines and soluble markers were evaluated in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seronegative and HIV-seropositive individuals stratified on the basis of CD4 T-cell numbers. Levels of some but not all cytokines in serum increased in HIV infection. There was a tendency for cytokines to increase with more advanced disease, defined by reduced CD4 T-cell numbers. Cytokine changes did not relate closely to CD4 level, indicating that separate information was provided by the measurements of TNF-α, sTNF-RII, sIL-2Rα, β2M, and neopterin. Serum IL-4 and TNF-α levels were not increased. The quality of laboratory data can impact on clinical relevance. Interlaboratory comparisons revealed substantial differences at some sites and documented the need for external proficiency-testing quality assurance programs.