Brief Report: Soluble CD163 in CMV-Infected and CMV-Uninfected Subjects on Virologically Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy in the ICONA Cohort
Vita S., Lichtner M., Marchetti G., Mascia C., Merlini E., Cicconi P., Vullo V., Viale P., Costantini A., D'Arminio Monforte A.
Aims: To contribute to the understanding of the role played by cytomegalovirus (CMV) in sustaining monocyte/macrophage-mediated immune activation in antiretroviral therapy treated HIV-infected subjects. Design and Methods: We selected 23 CMV-uninfected and 46 CMV-infected HIV+ subjects, matched for age, CD4 nadir, HIV infection duration, and viral hepatitis serostatus. All subjects were on successful antiretroviral therapy since at least 1 year. A group of 16 healthy donors with similar age and sex was also included. Plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor–alpha, interleukin-6, sCD163, sCD14, and CMV immunoglobulin G levels were measured in duplicate with human enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Results: We found significantly higher sCD163 plasma levels in HIV+CMV+ compared with HIV+CMV− subjects and healthy donors. This augmentation was confirmed also when subjects positive for hepatitis C virus–Ab were excluded from analysis. Interestingly, a correlation between anti-CMV immunoglobulin G levels and sCD163, tumor necrosis factor–alpha, interleukin-6, and sCD14 in HIV+CMV+ subjects was found. Conclusions: CMV coinfection could be a major driver of monocyte/macrophage activation in virally suppressed HIV+ individuals and might explain the increased risk of non-AIDS morbidity/mortality in HIV/CMV-coinfected subjects.