Kalonji R. Collins, et al.: Tuberculosis and HIV
A
I
D
S
REVIEWS
165
Impact of Tuberculosis on HIV-1 Replication,
Diversity, and Disease Progression
Kalonji R. Collins
1
, Miguel E. Quiñones-Mateu
2
, Zahra Toossi
3
and Eric J. Arts
1,3
1
Molecular Virology Program, Case Western Reserve University.
2
Department of Virology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
3
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Abstract
HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis not only co-circulate throughout the
developing world but each has contributed to prevalence and mortality caused
by the other. Several reports have described how HIV-1 increases the incidence
of new M. tuberculosis infections, exacerbates the severity of tuberculosis (TB),
and re-activates latent M. tuberculosis. However, the converse relationship is
more difficult to understand considering TB can emerge in asymptomatic
individuals and as an opportunistic infection during AIDS. Development of TB in
HIV infected individuals with higher CD4 cell counts (>200/mm
3
) appears to
increase the rate of disease progression and mortality. Higher viral loads,
increased HIV-1 diversity, and changes in cytokine/chemokine levels in HIV-
infected individuals with TB appear to be related to a localized immune
stimulation. Specifically, increased levels of TNFα and MCP-1, induced by TB,
may activate HIV replication in lymphocytes, monocytes, and macrophages that
are resident or have migrated to M. tuberculosis infected organs (e.g. pleura or
lung). The HIV-1 found in blood following this TB-mediated burst in load and
diversity appear to be phylogenetically-related to HIV-1 clones that have evolved
independently in the lung or pleural compartments, now infected by M.
tuberculosis.
AIDS Rev 2002;4:165-176
Correspondence to:
Eric J. Arts
Division of Infectious Diseases
Department of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University
Biomedical Research Building 10th
2109 Adelbert rd
Cleveland, OH, 44106-4984 USA
Tel: (216) 368 8904 - Fax (216) 368 2034
Email: eja3@po.cwru.edu
Key words
HIV. Tuberculosis. Evolution. Genetic variability.
in the world today. In December 2001, UNAIDS
reported that AIDS was the world’s fourth biggest
killer and gaining ground on the leaders, tubercu-
losis (TB) and malaria. Of particular concern is the
impact of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. In this
region of the world, AIDS is the major cause of
mortality with an estimated 2.3 million deaths in
2001 alone and three fourths of the 40 million HIV-
1 infected people in the world
1
. According to the
United Nations, HIV/AIDS is the biggest threat to
the development of the African economy because
this disease is common in young teachers, farm-
ers, health-workers, civil servants, and young pro-
fessionals.
The second leading cause of death in sub-
Saharan Africa is TB. Unfortunately, these two
Public health perspective on TB
and HIV-1
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
is one of the most destructive infectious diseases
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