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Sophy Laibe, Emmanuel Bard, Sabéha Biichlé, Julien Vielle, Laurence Millon, Christine Drobacheff, Estelle Seilles, Dominique Meillet

New Sensitive Method for the Measurement of Lysozyme and Lactoferrin to Explore Mucosal Innate Immunity. Part II: Time-Resolved Immunofluorometric Assay Used in HIV Patients with Oral Candidiasis

The aim of this study was to explore lysozyme and lactoferrin concentrations in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC). These proteins were measured by time-resolved immunofluorometric assay, validated in Part I of this study, in paired serum and salivary secretions of 30 patients. Eleven HIV-positive patients without OPC, eight HIV-positive patients with OPC and eleven HIV-negative healthy subjects were included in the study. The relative coefficient of excretion of salivary albumin was used to establish protein origin. In serum, the low lactoferrin concentrations in HIV-infected patients with and without OPC (0.610 mg/l (p < 0.05) and 0.896 mg/l (p < 0.01) vs. 1.439 mg/l in healthy subjects) were probably due to a decrease in nonspecific immunity, particularly the polymorphonuclear cells. In HIV-infected patients with OPC, the high salivary lysozyme and lactoferrin concentrations (170.94 mg/l and 66.48 mg/l vs. 23.35 mg/l and 10.20 mg/l in healthy subjects, respectively) and their mean relative coefficient of excretion of above 1 indicated a high local production of lysozyme and lactoferrin in saliva. The development of OPC in HIV-infected patients could be a consequence of inefficient lysozyme and lactoferrin concentrations and of decreased cooperation between innate and adaptative immune systems.

Clinical Chemical Laboratory Medicine, Walter de Gruyter

Print ISSN: 1434-6621
Volume: 41, 02/2003
Pages: 134 - 138

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