Cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis is associated with HIV-1 neuroinvasion during acute infection.

AIDS (London, England) 2024 Mar 01

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HIV-1 invades the brain within days post-transmission. This study quantitated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell count (WBC) and investigated whether it associated with plasma and CSF HIV-1 RNA during untreated acute HIV infection (AHI). Seventy participants underwent lumbar puncture during Fiebig stages I-V AHI. WBC and HIV-1 RNA with a lower limit of quantification (LLQ) of 80 copies/ml were measured in CSF. Sixty-nine (99%) participants were men, with a median age of 26. Their blood CD4 + and CD8 + T-cell counts were 335 [interquartile range (IQR) 247-553) and 540 (IQR 357-802) cells/μl, respectively. Forty-five (64%) were in Fiebig stages III-V whereas 25 (36%) were in Feibig stages I-II. Fifty-two (74%) experienced acute retroviral syndrome. Median plasma and CSF HIV-1 RNA were 6.10 (IQR 5.15-6.78) and 3.15 (IQR 1.90-4.11) log 10 copies/ml, respectively. Sixteen (23%) CSF samples had HIV-1 RNA below LLQ. Median CSF WBC was 2.5 (IQR 1-8) cells/μl. CSF pleocytosis (WBC >5) was observed in 33% and was only present in CSF samples with detectable HIV-1 RNA. The frequencies of CSF pleocytosis during Fiebig stages III-V and among CSF samples of higher viral load (>1000 copies/ml) were 42 and 45%, respectively. Pleocytosis independently associated with CSF HIV-1 RNA in multivariate analysis [adjusted coefficient: 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41-1.14), P < 0.001] and a lower plasma to CSF HIV-1 RNA ratio ( P < 0.001). CSF pleocytosis was present in one-third of participants with AHI. It associated with higher CSF HIV-1 RNA and a lower plasma to CSF HIV-1 RNA ratio, suggesting a potential association with HIV-1 neuroinvasion. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

Citation

Phillip Chan, Sarah Moreland, Carlo Sacdalan, Eugene Kroon, Donn Colby, Somchai Sriplienchan, Suteeraporn Pinyakorn, Nittaya Phanuphak, Linda Jagodzinski, Victor Valcour, Sandhya Vasan, Robert Paul, Lydie Trautmann, Serena Spudich, RV254/SEARCH 010 Study Team. Cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis is associated with HIV-1 neuroinvasion during acute infection. AIDS (London, England). 2024 Mar 01;38(3):373-378