No abstract

Detailed longitudinal studies of patients with X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP) may increase our understanding of the immunologic defects that contribute to the development of lymphoma and hypogammaglobulinemia in XLP. We describe progressive changes observed in immunoglobulin concentrations, lympho-cyte subsets, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) loads occurring in a 2-year period in a newly infected, but otherwise healthy, carrier (patient 9). We compare these findings with those observed in the patient's brother, who had hypogammaglobuline-mia and XLP (patient 4). Immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, and IgA concentrations increased in patient 9 during acute EBV infection, but thereafter they decreased steadily to concentrations consistent with hypogammaglobulinemia, reaching a plateau 5 months after infection. In both patients, CD19 B-lymphocyte rates remained lower than 3%, with a contraction of the B-cell memory compartment (CD27 CD19 /CD19) to 20% (normal range, 32%-56%). T-lymphocyte subpopulations showed a reduction in CD4 T-cell counts and a permanent CD8 T-cell expansion. Interestingly, CXCR3 memory T H 1 cells were expanded and CCR4 T H 2 lympho-cytes were reduced, suggesting that abnormal skewing of memory T-cell subsets might contribute to reduced antibody synthesis. Despite an expanded number of CD3 CD8 lymphocytes, increased EBV loads occurred in both patients without overt clinical symptoms of mononucleo-sis, lymphoproliferative disease, or lym-phoma.

In order to investigate hepatitis C virus (HCV) persistence and replication in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from a group of haemophilic individuals, HCV production and release to PBMC culture supernatants (SNs) from HCV singly infected patients and HIV/HCV co-infected patients was studied. HCV RNA + SNs were found more frequently from HIV/HCV co-infected individuals (89?5 %) with poor reconstitution of their immune status than from singly HCV-infected patients (57 %) or from HIV/HCV co-infected individuals with a good response to highly active anti-retroviral therapy (50 %). The presence of the HCV genome in culture SNs was associated with lower CD4 + T-cell counts and with a more severe clinical picture of HIV infection. In spite of prolonged negative HCV viraemia, PBMC from HIV/HCV co-infected patients released the HCV genome after culture. HCV permissive PBMC allowed generation of HCV productive B cell lines with continuous HCV replication. These findings add further weight to the involvement of PBMCs in persistence of HCV infection and emphasize the role of B lymphocytes as HCV reservoirs.

The presence of HIV-1 RNA in distal duodenal mucosa was evaluated in 44 HIV-1-positive patients. HIV-1 RNA was detected in gut tissue in antiretroviral-naive patients with high plasma viral loads, as well as in patients on HAART with plasma viral loads below the limit of detection and in patients on HAART with virological failure. The intestinal mucosa seems to serve as a reservoir poorly influenced by levels of plasma viral load or HAART.

SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral response was analyzed over time in a group of healthcare workers with or without exposure to SARS-CoV-2, who underwent vaccination with BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm) vaccine in Argentina. Seroconversion rates in unexposed subjects after the first and second doses were 40% and 100%, respectively, showing a significant increase in antibody concentrations from dose 1 to dose 2 ( p < 0.0001). The highest antibody concentrations were found in younger subjects and women, remaining significantly associated in a multivariable linear regression model ( p = 0.005). A single dose of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine induced a strong antibody response in individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2infection, while a second dose did not increase this response. A sharp increase in antibody concentrations was observed following SARS-CoV-2 infection in those participants who became infected after the first and second doses ( p = 0.008). Individuals with SARS-CoV-2 exposure prior to vaccination showed significantly higher anti-spike IgG antibody levels, at all-time points, than those not exposed ( p < 0.001). Higher antibody titers were induced by a single dose in previously SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals than those induced in naïve subjects by two doses of the vaccine ( p < 0.0001). Three months after the second dose both groups showed a decline in antibody levels, being more abrupt in unexposed subjects. Overall, our results showed a trend towards lower antibody concentrations over time following BBIBP-CorV vaccination. Sex and age seem to influence the magnitude of the humoral response in unexposed subjects while the combination of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 plus vaccination, whatever the sequence of the events was, produced a sharp increase in antibody levels. Evaluation of the humoral responses over time and the analysis of the induction and persistence of memory B and T cell responses, are needed to assess long-term immune protection induced by BBIBP-CorV vaccine.

Recent studies have found hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of the majority of presumed recovered subjects. We investigated this unexpected finding using samples from patients whose HCV RNA and anti-HCV status had been serially confirmed. HCV RNA was detected in PBMCs from 66/67 chronic HCV carriers. Subpopulation analysis revealed that the viral load (log copies/106 cells) in B cells (4.14 ± 0.71) was higher than in total PBMCs (3.62 ± 0.71, p<0.05), T cells (1.67 ± 0.88, p<0.05), and non-B/T cells (2.48 ± 1.15, p<0.05). HCV negative-strand RNA was not detected in PBMCs from any of 25 chronically infected patients. No residual viral RNA was detected in total PBMCs or plasma of 59 presumed recovered subjects (11 spontaneous, 48 treatment-induced) using nested real-time PCR with a detection limit of 2 copies/μg RNA (from ~1×106 cells). PBMCs from two healthy HCV-negative blood donors became HCV RNA positive, with B-cell predominance, when mixed in vitro with HCV RNA positive plasma, thus passively mimicking cells from chronic HCV carriers. No residual HCV was detected in liver or other tissues from two spontaneously recovered chimpanzees. Conclusion: 1) HCV RNA was detected in PBMCs of most chronic HCV carriers and was predominant in the B cell subpopulation; 2) HCV detected in PBMCs was in a non-replicative form; 3) HCV passively adsorbed to PBMCs of healthy controls in vitro becoming indistinguishable from PBMCs of chronic HCV carriers; 4) Residual HCV was not detected in the plasma or PBMCs of any spontaneous or treatment recovered subjects or in chimpanzee liver suggesting that the classic pattern of recovery from HCV infection is generally equivalent to viral eradication.

No abstract

Combination of HAART and chemotherapy should modify the poor prognosis of AIDS patients with OCL.