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. 2024 Feb 18;13(4):1154.
doi: 10.3390/jcm13041154.

Immuno-Diagnostic Interest in Monitoring CD16+CD56+ (Natural Killer) Cells and CD19+CD45+ (B Lymphocytes) in Individuals Newly Diagnosed with HIV in a Tertiary Care Center

Jamil Al-Mughales  1   2
Affiliations

Immuno-Diagnostic Interest in Monitoring CD16+CD56+ (Natural Killer) Cells and CD19+CD45+ (B Lymphocytes) in Individuals Newly Diagnosed with HIV in a Tertiary Care Center

Jamil Al-Mughales. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background/objective: Monitoring multiple cellular markers of immune cells may provide a more accurate evaluation of the immune status of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV). This study assessed the value of CD16+CD56+ cells (NK cells) and CD19+ lymphocytes (B cells) phenotyping in indicating viral load, AIDS status, and treatment efficacy.

Method: A retrospective, laboratory-based study was conducted at the Diagnostic immunology division of a referral tertiary hospital. It involved 82 newly diagnosed HIV patients treated between 2009-2016. We explored three objectives: (1) the paired change in CD16+CD56+ and CD19+CD45+ cells counts and percentages from baseline to 2-to-6 months after treatment; (2) the association of these phenotypes with 5 gradual categories of viral load; and (3) the accuracy of CD16+CD56+ and CD19+CD45+ cells counts in indicating AIDS stage defined as CD4+ < 200 cells/mm3. The second and third objectives were tested using a pooled analysis (N = 300-373).

Result: The median CD19+CD45+ and CD16+CD56+ counts increased by 1.9-fold and 1.3-fold after treatment respectively (p < 0.001). A negative correlation of viral load with both CD16+CD56+ (ρ = -0.29, p < 0.001) and CD19+CD45+ (ρ = -0.34, p < 0.001) counts was observed. CD16+CD56+ count < 73 cells/mm3 and CD19+CD45+ count < 166.5 were indicative for AIDS with 95.5% and 63.6% sensitivity respectively.

Conclusions: Findings advocate for the usefulness of CD16+CD56+ and CD19+CD45+ phenotyping in characterizing the severity of HIV infection and its impact on both the humoral and cellular immunity, as well as monitoring the effectiveness of treatment.

Keywords: CD16+ (natural killer); CD19+ (phenotype); HIV.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The flow cytometry gating strategy for TBNK lymphocytes. (a) CD3+CD4+ (APC-A) and CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes (PE-A): (i) all events; (ii) CD3+ T lymphocytes; (iii) the proportion of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells and CD4+ T helper cells. (b) CD19+ B lymphocytes (APC-A) and NK lymphocytes (PE-A): (i) all events; (ii) CD3− lymphocytes; (iii) the proportion of NK cells (CD16+CD56+) and B cells (CD19+).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flowchart of the participants.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Significance of NK cell count (a), B cell count (b) and CD3+ cell count (c) in indicating AIDS status among HIV patients—Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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