Open AccessDecreased Serum Antibody Responses to Recombinant Pneumocystis Antigens in HIV-Infected and Uninfected Current Smokers
Author(s) -
Kristina Crothers,
Kieran R. Daly,
David Rimland,
Matthew Bidwell Goetz,
Cynthia Gibert,
Adeel A. Butt,
Amy C. Justice,
Kpandja Djawe,
Linda Levin,
Peter D. Walzer
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
clinical and vaccine immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.649
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1556-6811
pISSN - 1556-679X
DOI - 10.1128/cvi.00421-10
Subject(s) - antibody , immunology , serology , medicine , antigen , pneumocystis jirovecii , virology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)
Serologic studies can provide important insights into the epidemiology and transmission ofPneumocystis jirovecii . Exposure toP. jirovecii can be assessed by serum antibody responses to recombinant antigens from the major surface glycoprotein (MsgC), although factors that influence the magnitude of the antibody response are incompletely understood. We determined the magnitudes of antibody responses toP. jirovecii in comparison to adenovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in HIV-infected and uninfected patients and identified predictors associated with the magnitude of the response. We performed a cross-sectional analysis using serum samples and data from 153 HIV-positive and 92 HIV-negative subjects enrolled in a feasibility study of the Veterans Aging Cohort 5 Site Study (VACS 5). Antibodies were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Independent predictors of antibody responses were determined using multivariate Tobit regression models. The results showed that serum antibody responses toP. jirovecii MsgC fragments were significantly and independently decreased in current smokers. Antibodies toP. jirovecii also tended to be lower with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hazardous alcohol use, injection drug use, and HIV infection, although these results were not statistically significant. These results were specific toP. jirovecii and did not correlate with adenovirus. Antibody responses to RSV were in the inverse direction. Thus, current smoking was independently associated with decreasedP. jirovecii antibody responses. Whether smoking exerts an immunosuppressive effect that affects theP. jirovecii antibody response, colonization, or subsequent risk for disease is unclear; prospective, longitudinal studies are needed to evaluate these findings further.