Jeremiah Khayumbi, Loren Sasser, Taryn McLaughlin, Benson Muchiri, Joshua Ongalo, Joan Tonui, Samuel Gurrion Ouma, Angie Campbell, Felix Hayara Odhiambo, Chelimo Kiprotich, Neel R Gandhi, Cheryl Day
Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in people with HIV (PWH) is associated with depletion of Mtb-specific CD4 T cell responses, increased risk of progression to active tuberculosis (TB) disease and increased immune activation. While higher HIV viral loads have been reported in Mtb/HIV co-infection, the extent to which Mtb infection and TB disease impact the frequency and phenotype of HIV-specific T cell responses has not been well described. We enrolled a cohort of PWH in Kenya across a spectrum of Mtb infection states, including those with no evidence of Mtb infection, latent Mtb infection (LTBI) and active pulmonary TB disease, and evaluated the frequency, immune activation, and cytotoxicity phenotype of HIV-specific CD4 and CD8 T cell responses in peripheral blood by flow cytometry...
February 17, 2024: AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses