Human-immunodeficiency virus infection associated with the impaired Th1 and pro-inflammatory cytokine response in latent tuberculosis-infected individuals: A comparative cross-sectional study

by Getu Girmay, Amare Kiflie, Meseret Alem, Mulualem Lemma, Gezahegn Bewket

Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV co-infections are extensively overlapping, especially in developing countries. HIV infection is known as a major risk factor for the reactivation of latent TB into active TB. Although not fully understood and needs further study, HIV infection might enhance the reactivation of latent TB by breaching immune control mechanisms. We investigated the influence of HIV infection on the cytokine response of LTB-infected individuals. Heparinized venous blood was collected from 40 ART-naïve HIV-infected and 30 HIV-negative healthy controls for LTB screening, plasma collection, and PBMC isolation and stimulation. The level of cytokines in plasma and their production by PBMCs stimulated with purified protein derivative (PPD), staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB), or unstimulated PBMCs were analyzed using a cytometric bead array (CBA) assay. PPD-induced IL-2 by PBMCs was higher in LTB-infected groups compared with HIV-negative LTB-negative groups (p = 0.0015). When LTB-infected groups were co-infected with HIV (HIV⁺LTB⁺), the IL-2 (p < 0.0001) and IFN-gamma (p = 0.0144) production by PPD-stimulated PBMCs was reduced. The level of IL-2 (p = 0.0070), IL-6 (p = 0.0054), and TNF-alpha (p = 0.0045) in plasma were lower in HIV⁺LTB⁺ individuals compared with HIV-negative LTB-positive (HIV^-LTB⁺) groups. Our findings suggested that HIV co-infection in LTB-positive individuals is associated with the diminished production of PPD-induced Th1 (IFN-gamma and IL-2) cytokines by PBMCs and in the plasma level of IL-2 and proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-alpha).