Differential Effect on Serum Neopterin and Serum B2-Microglobulin Is Induced by Treatment in Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia
- 1 May 1994
- journal article
- clinical trial
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in The Journal of Infectious Diseases
- Vol. 169 (5) , 1170-1173
- https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/169.5.1170
Abstract
Forty-three human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) were enrolled in a study of adjunctive corticosteroid treatment for 10 days versus placebo, in addition to antimicrobial treatment. Levels of neopterin and β2-microglobulin (β2M) were determined in consecutive serum samples. Initiation of antimicrobial treatment resulted in significantly increased neopterin levels, whereas β2M levels slightly decreased from pretreatment levels. In patients treated with corticosteroid, both neopterin and β2M decreased, by ∼50% and ∼30%, respectively, and returned to baseline after discontinuation of corticosteroid treatment. Antimicrobial treatment alone did not affect either neopterin or β2M in healthy controls. Results indicate that treatment has a differential effecton the immune response: increased macrophage activation leading to neopterin production and decreased production of β2M by lymphocytes. Further, addition of corticosteroids modified and decreased this immune activation and may explain the earlier demonstrated beneficial effect of corticosteroids in PCP treatment.Keywords
This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: