Abstract
CD38 expression on CD8+ cells seems to correlate well with HIV viral-loads, while the ex-pression levels are thought to be low in patients with tuberculosis. This study aimed at determining the levels of CD38 expression in HIV+ individuals who develop tuberculosis. Expression levels of CD8 and CD38 were analysed in peripheral blood collected from HIV (73), TB (32), HIV-TB (31) and healthy controls (20). The percentage of CD8+/CD38+ cells significantly increased during the first few years of seropositivity and decreased during 5 - 6 years. A decline in the expression of CD38, especially on CD8+ cells in a HIV+ individual within first 2 years of seropositivity, may be indicative of susceptibility to tuberculosis. This observation was reiterated when two patients developed TB during follow-up. CD38 on CD8 cells could perhaps be useful as an early biomarker for tuberculosis in HIV-positive individuals.
Highlights
Right from the stage of infection with HIV, most of the individuals exhibit perturbation of T cells and their subsets, leading to their exacerbation in the absolute number with time
CD8 expression was significantly high in HIV-TB and HIV groups when compared with control and TB groups
The viral load was found to be directly proportional to CD38 expression
Summary
Right from the stage of infection with HIV, most of the individuals exhibit perturbation of T cells and their subsets, leading to their exacerbation in the absolute number with time. These immune cell turbulences along with variation in their function lead to progressive immunodeficiency [1] resulting in an increased risk of opportunistic infections, such as tuberculosis. Lympho proliferative response to HIV-specific antigen is well established in long-term non-progressors than those with more rapid progression [2]. It is well-known that CD4+ cells decline during infection with HIV and the numbers reduce further with disease progression [3]. Studies revealed that HIV-1 specific CD8+ cells are associated with nonprogressive HIV-1 infection [6]
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