article · Frontiers in Immunology
A cross-sectional study in the southern highlands of Tanzania examined immune responses in 110 HIV-positive individuals with and without cysticercosis co-infection. Diagnostic testing showed that 20.9 percent carried cysticercosis antibodies, 43.6 percent carried antigens, and 20.2 percent had brain cysts, including 10.6 percent with active neurocysticercosis. Individuals with cysticercosis displayed positive correlations between CD4 counts and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-1beta, whereas uninfected individuals showed negative correlations. Although overall cytokine profiles did not differ significantly by CD4 category or infection status, sex-stratified analysis revealed distinct patterns: males exhibited stronger regulatory cytokine responses, specifically higher levels of IL-10 and IL-4, than females. These immunological interactions point to sex-specific immune modulation in co-infected patients.
HIV and parasitic infections frequently overlap in low- and middle-income regions, complicating immune health. Demonstrating that co-infection alters immune signalling differently in men and women helps clinicians and immunologists understand how multiple conditions interact. This foundational insight highlights the potential need to tailor health interventions according to sex when managing patients facing complex co-infections.
This research is early-stage observational work that could eventually inform sex-personalised therapeutic regimens or clinical management guidelines for co-infected patients. Potential end users include healthcare providers and pharmaceutical researchers designing targeted immunotherapies. However, the abstract notes that larger follow-up studies are required to confirm clinical implications, placing any direct commercial application at an early developmental distance.
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Introduction: T-cell counts, and cysticercosis infection status in HIV-positive individuals in Tanzania's southern highlands. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 110 HIV-positive individuals. Cysticercosis was diagnosed using antibody and antigen tests, with neurocysticercosis confirmed by CT imaging. CD4 counts and serum cytokine levels (pro- and anti-inflammatory) were analyzed using multivariate regression and MANOVA, including sex-stratified analyses. Results: Among participants, 20.9% tested positive for cysticercosis antibodies, 43.6% for antigens and 20.2% presented with brain cysts, with 10.6% showing active neurocysticercosis. Cysticercosis-positive individuals showed positive correlations between CD4 counts and pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α, IL-1β), contrasting with negative correlations in cysticercosis-negative individuals. Sex-stratified analysis showed stronger regulatory cytokine responses in males compared to females, particularly involving higher levels of IL-10 and IL-4 indicating sex-specific immune modulation in co-infected individuals. However, overall cytokine profiles were not significantly influenced by CD4 categories or cysticercosis status. Conclusion: These results contribute to our understanding of immunological interactions in HIV-cysticercosis co-infection and underscore the need for further research with larger sample sizes to elucidate the clinical implications of these findings. Such studies could inform the development of more effective, sex-personalized treatment strategies for HIV patients in cysticercosis-endemic regions.
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DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1521295
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