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Updated: May 20, 2025

Isolation, Transfection, and Culture of Primary Human Monocytes
Published on: December 16, 2019
Immune Dysregulation in HIV and COVID-19 Co-infection: Therapeutic Implications
Maryam Nejabat1, Mohammad Motamedifar2, Saeid Amirizadeh Fard3
1HIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Background:
Co-infection with HIV and SARS-CoV-2 presents a complex clinical picture. Deciphering the immune response in this population, particularly the role of cytokines underlying immunopathogenesis could elucidates the development of targeted therapeutic interventions.
Methods:
This prospective, two-stage study enrolled 75 individuals with HIV diagnosed with COVID-19 (case group) and 25 individuals from the general population infected with SARS-CoV-2 only (control group). COVID-19 diagnosis followed World Health Organization guidelines. Plasma cytokine levels were measured using a cytokine bead array.
Results:
The case group skewed slightly females (61.2% vs. 42.9% female in the control group) an average age of 3 years older (44.13 years vs. 40.86 years). Importantly, all the case group participants had mild complications, while a significant majority (88.1%) in the control group experienced severe complications. The control group displayed a substantially higher IgM titer 963 IU/mL compared to only 39.3 IU/mL in the case group. The control group had significantly higher levels of IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ, TNF-α compared to the case group.
Conclusion:
This study suggests a potentially distinct immune response in HIV-positive patients when infected with SARS-CoV-2. Elucidating these differences could lead to the development of more effective treatment strategies for this vulnerable population.
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