Interruption of antiretroviral therapy blunts but does not abrogate CD4 T-cell responses to interleukin-2 administration in HIV infected patients.

BACKGROUND: Intermittent administration of interleukin (IL)-2 to HIV infected patients leads to CD4 T-cell expansions that are associated with decreased CD4 T-cell turnover. IL-2 is under evaluation in antiretroviral therapy (ART) interruption studies, but it is unclear how the emergence of viremia may affect CD4 expansions. METHODS: CD4 T-cell responses were evaluated in 27 HIV infected patients on long-term intermittent IL-2 therapy who underwent ART interruption immediately after an IL-2 cycle ('IL-2/off') and compared with responses from a previous IL-2 cycle while on continuous ART ('IL-2/on'). Immunophenotypic analysis, including intracellular Ki67 staining, of cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells was performed. RESULTS: CD4 T-cell increases, in naive and central memory CD4 T-cell subsets, were observed in the IL-2/on (106 and 327 cells/microl, respectively) and IL-2/off (84 and 184 cells/microl, respectively) cycles 1 month following IL-2 administration. These increases were greater during the IL-2/on cycle (P = 0.05, P = 0.01, respectively). In both cycles, the change in CD4 T-cell count correlated with the change in CD4/CD25 T cells. In the IL-2/off cycle, the change in the proportion of CD4 T cells expressing Ki67 was associated with both the changes in viral load (r = 0.64, P = 0.001) and the changes in CD4 T cells (r = -0.56, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: IL-2 administration followed by ART interruption led to significant, although blunted, CD4 T-cell increases. IL-2 induced CD4 T-cell increases in the setting of emergent viremia were associated with decreased CD4 T-cell activation that counteracted the viremia-induced increases in CD4 T-cell activation.

Invasive infection with Trichosporon inkin in 2 siblings with chronic granulomatous disease.

A 9-year-old girl with autosomal recessive chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) presented with asymptomatic bilateral pulmonary infiltrates on routine computed tomography. Fine-needle aspirate of the infiltrates was obtained and showed fungal cells resembling Trichosporon inkin . The specimen grew in culture, and testing by means of both API 20C and PCR amplification confirmed the diagnosis of T inkin . The infiltrates increased in size, despite sequential therapy with voriconazole, liposomal amphotericin B, caspofungin, and posaconazole. The patient required resection of the infected lung tissue, after which she recovered completely. While she was undergoing therapy, her 13-year-old brother, also with CGD, was given a diagnosis of bilateral T inkin -induced pulmonary infection. He also required bilateral pulmonary resection for cure. These cases demonstrate the predisposition of patients with CGD to have invasive infections with unusual fungal organisms, such as T inkin . They also illustrate the difficulty of treating invasive T inkin infections with antifungal agents alone. There are 9 previously reported cases of invasive infections caused by T inkin , 3 of which are in patients with CGD. All patients required removal of infected prosthetic devices or surgical resection of infected tissue for cure.