Increased CD38 expression on T lymphocytes as a marker of HIV dissemination into the central nervous system

Figures & data

Table 1. Patient's characteristics.

	Plasma HIV–RNA ≤ 20 copies/ml and CNS HIV–RNA ≤ 20 copies/ml	Plasma HIV–RNA >20 copies/ml and CNS HIV–RNA ≤ 20 copies/ml	Plasma HIV–RNA >20 copies/ml and CNS HIV–RNA >20 copies/ml
Number (%)	7 (35)	3 (15)	10 (50)
Males (%)	6 (86)	3 (100)	8 (80)
Median age (years) [range]	53 [45–65]	41 [37–44]	51.5 [31–61]
Median months of HIV infection [range]	204 [84–324]	144 [24–264]	180 [0–312]
Median Nadir CD4^+T cells count/mm^3 [range]	194 [23–511]	194 [45–195]	51 [2–196]
Number of patients HCV antibodies positives (%)	6 (86)	2 (67)	4 (40)
Patients on antiretroviral therapy (%)	6 (86)	3 (100)	6 (60)
Time of virological suppression, months [range]	24 [10–24]	0 [0–0]	0 [0–0]
Median CD4^+T cells count/mm^3 (%) [range]	491 (19.2) [209 (10.5)–891 (48.4)]	195 (20.8) [165 (7.7)–686 (18.1)]	70.5 (19.7) [4 (2.0)–728 (37.4)]
Median plasma viremia copies/ml [range]	0 [0–0]	190 [34–368]	176 × 10^3 [43–390 × 10^3]
Median value of CNS HIV–RNA copies/ml [range]	20 [9–20]	20 [12–20]	1380 [250–12 × 10^6]
Median value of CPE score [range]	6 [0–9]	7 [5–7]	4.5 [0–7]
Number of patients with opportunistic CNS infections	0	0	4^a

Range: minimum–maximum values; CNS: central nervous system; CPE: CNS penetration-effectiveness

a 3 Cryptococcus neoformans 1 Toxoplasma gondii.

Figure 1. CD38 MFI on circulating CD8⁺T cells (A) and on CSF CD4⁺T cells (B) in patients with plasma or CSF HIV-RNA ≤ 20 and >20 copies/ml. Data are expressed as range of minimum to maximum values in each group; P values of Mann–Whitney test are shown in the figures.

Figure 2. Correlation between CD38 expression on CD8⁺T cells in the CSF and CPE score or duration of HIV infection. (A) Correlation between the frequency of CD8⁺CD38⁺T cells in the CSF and the CPE score; (B) Correlation between CD38 MFI on CD8⁺T cells in the CSF and duration of HIV infection (estimated as the time from diagnosis). ρ and P values of Spearman's correlation are shown in the figures.