RESUMEN
The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii in Iranian human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients using multilocus-nested polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (Mn-PCR-RFLP). A total of 102 serum samples obtained from infected patients were collected from the laboratory centres in northern Iran. Anti-T. gondii antibodies and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) detection were accomplished by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and PCR. The Mn-PCR-RFLP method was used for the genotyping of T. gondii. Overall, 68.6% (70/102) and 11.7% (12/102) of the individuals were tested positive for anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G and T. gondii DNA, respectively. Complete genotyping was performed on 10/12 (83.3%) PCR-positive samples. Accordingly, the samples were classified as genotype #1 (type II clonal; n = 3, 30%), genotype #2 (type III clonal; n = 2, 20%), genotype #10 (type I clonal; n = 2, 20%), genotype #27 (type I variant; n = 1, 10%), genotype #35 (type I variant; n = 1, 10%) and genotype #48 (type III variant; n = 1, 10%). The results were indicative of the high frequency of the type I and type I variant of T. gondii strains in HIV-positive patients in northern Iran. Given the high prevalence of T. gondii and frequency of pathogenic types (pathogen in laboratory mice) in the patients, special measures should be taken to prevent the possible increased incidence of encephalitis by T. gondii.
Asunto(s)
Genotipo , Toxoplasma/genética , Toxoplasmosis/epidemiología , Adulto , Anticuerpos Antiprotozoarios/análisis , ADN Protozoario/análisis , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Femenino , Infecciones por VIH/virología , Humanos , Irán/epidemiología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Polimorfismo de Longitud del Fragmento de Restricción , Prevalencia , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Dendritic cells (DC) are a key regulator of the immune response, and interferon-beta (IFN-beta) is considered an immunomodulatory molecule for DC. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of IFN-beta treated DC to induce cytokine secretion by CD4+ T cells. METHODS: Dendritic cells were generated from blood monocytes with granulocyte-monocyte colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-4 with or without IFN-beta. We analyzed the production of CD4+ T helper cytokines (IL-17, IFN-gamma and IL-10) in the supernatant of the dendritic cell-T cell co- cultures by ELISA. We also studied the effects of HLA-G and costimulatory molecules on immature and mature DC. RESULTS: IFN-gamma and IL-17 decreased significantly in the presence of HLA-G-bearing DC compared to control cultures (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Using the mixed leukocyte reaction, we found that DC treated with IFN-beta mediated the inhibition of T cell activation via cytokine production. We conclude that this is important for preventing overactivation of the immune system.