Autoantibodies and human immunodeficiency viruses infection: a case-control study

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Virology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Autoantibodies are implicated in various autoimmune and chronic conditions.
• Understanding autoantibody profiles in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is crucial for comprehending disease pathogenesis and potential autoimmune comorbidities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of organ-specific and non-specific autoantibodies in individuals with HIV infection.
• To compare the autoantibody profile of HIV patients with that of HIV-negative controls.

Main Methods:

• A multicentric case-control study involving 105 HIV patients and 100 HIV-negative healthy volunteers.
• Screening for a wide range of autoantibodies including antinuclear, anti-ds DNA, anticardiolipin, antiplatelet, anti-smooth muscle, and anti-thyroid antibodies across six European laboratories.

Main Results:

• HIV patients exhibited a statistically significant higher frequency of IgG and IgM anticardiolipin, IgG antiplatelet, anti-smooth muscle, and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies compared to controls.
• Specific autoantibodies such as anti-ds DNA, anti-Sm, and anti-beta 2 glycoprotein 1 were not detected more frequently in HIV patients.
• A correlation between CD4+ cell counts and autoantibodies was observed only for anti-smooth muscle antibodies.

Conclusions:

• The autoantibody profile observed in HIV infection is comparable to that seen in other chronic viral infections.
• HIV does not appear to be more autoimmunogenic than other viruses, suggesting a common immunopathological response in chronic viral infections.