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Increased erythrocyte adenosine deaminase activity in children with perinatal human immunodeficiency virus infection
Insights
Increased erythrocyte adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity in children born to HIV-positive mothers may serve as an indirect marker for infection. This enzyme elevation could also offer prognostic insights into disease progression.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in children presents diagnostic challenges.
- Erythrocyte adenosine deaminase (ADA) is an enzyme involved in immune function.
- Identifying reliable markers for pediatric HIV is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate erythrocyte ADA activity as a potential biomarker in children exposed to HIV.
- To correlate ADA levels with HIV infection status and clinical symptoms in pediatric subjects.
- To explore the mechanism underlying elevated ADA activity in HIV-infected children.
Main Methods:
- Assessed erythrocyte ADA activity in 33 children of HIV-positive mothers.
- Compared ADA levels between HIV-infected (symptomatic and asymptomatic), indeterminate, and HIV-negative control groups.
- Evaluated the effect of patient serum on ADA activity in healthy donor erythrocytes.
Main Results:
- Significantly elevated erythrocyte ADA activity was observed in HIV-infected children compared to controls.
- ADA levels were highest in symptomatic HIV-infected children, followed by asymptomatic infected children.
- Slightly increased ADA activity was noted in infants with indeterminate HIV status, though not statistically significant compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Increased erythrocyte ADA activity may serve as an indirect marker for HIV infection in at-risk children.
- Elevated ADA levels could have prognostic relevance in pediatric HIV cases.
- HIV may directly infect erythroid precursor cells, leading to increased cellular ADA production.
Abstract:
Erythrocyte adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity was assessed in 33 children born to human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV)-positive mothers. The enzyme values were significantly increased in infected, symptom-free children compared with a control group of HIV-negative subjects (mean +/- SD: 0.34 +/- 0.01 unit/ml red blood cells (RBC) vs. 0.25 +/- 0.04 unit/ml RBC, P less than 0.01) and a further significant increase was found in symptomatic children (0.45 +/- 0.02 unit/ml RBC, P less than 0.01 vs. infected, symptom-free children). ADA values were slightly enhanced also in the group of infants in whom the state of HIV infection was indeterminate (0.29 +/- 0.03 unit/ml RBC, P not significant vs. controls). These data indicate that increased erythrocyte ADA activity may be a useful though indirect marker of HIV infection in children at risk and be of possible prognostic relevance. Since increased values were present also in children without overt infections or hematologic disorders, and ADA activity of erythrocytes obtained from healthy donors did not increase after 1 hour incubation with patients' serum, HIV could induce large amounts of cellular enzyme infecting directly erythroid precursor cells.