Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
3418319 Parasitology International 2009 4 Pages PDF
Abstract

The effect of HIV on filarial-specific antibody response before and after treatment with diethylcarbamazine (DEC) was analysed by comparing two groups of Wuchereria bancrofti-infected adult individuals (positive for circulating filarial antigen) who were positive (n = 15) or negative (n = 21) for HIV co-infection. Prior to DEC treatment there was no significant difference in filarial-specific IgG1, IgG2, IgG4 and IgE antibody response between the HIV negative and the HIV positive group, while a five times (statistically significant) higher filarial-specific IgG3 response was observed in the HIV positive than in the HIV negative group. At 12 weeks after treatment with DEC, a significant decrease in filarial-specific IgG4 was observed in the HIV positive but not in the HIV negative group, indicating that DEC treatment had a stronger antifilarial effect in individuals co-infected with HIV. DEC treatment had no significant effect on the other classes of filarial specific antibodies, neither in the HIV negative or the HIV positive group.

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Life Sciences Immunology and Microbiology Parasitology
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