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. 1993 Jan;91(1):37–42. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1993.tb03350.x

Raised levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha and neopterin, but not interferon-alpha, in serum of HIV-1-infected patients from Ethiopia.

S Ayehunie 1, A Sonnerborg 1, T Yemane-Berhan 1, D W Zewdie 1, S Britton 1, O Strannegard 1
PMCID: PMC1554634  PMID: 8419084

Abstract

Serum levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), neopterin and interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) were determined by immunoradiometric assays in 60 HIV-1+ and 20 HIV-1- subjects from Ethiopia. Swedish samples were used as reference material. The Ethiopian HIV-1+ subjects were found to have significantly increased TNF-alpha and neopterin, but not IFN-alpha levels. Increased levels of TNF-alpha and neopterin were frequently found in Ethiopian asymptomatic subjects (37% and 47%), and the concentration increased in patients with AIDS (83% and 90% respectively). The levels of the two substances and the proportion of patients with higher TNF-alpha values were lower in the corresponding Swedish subjects. The proportion of sera with raised levels of IFN-alpha was very low (asymptomatic 4%, and AIDS 7%) in Ethiopian subjects. These results suggest a very early increase in the TNF-alpha production and activation of the cellular immune response, and a low level of IFN-alpha synthesis in the natural course of HIV infection in Ethiopia. The aberrations may contribute to a rapid progress of immunodeficiency and cachexia often seen in Ethiopian patients.

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Selected References

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