Low levels of specific T cell activation marker CD27 accompanied by elevated levels of markers for non-specific immune activation in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with AIDS dementia complex.

Concentrations of soluble receptors for tumor necrosis factor (sTNFR-p55 and sTNFR-p75) and soluble T cell antigens CD25 and CD27 (sCD25 and sCD27) were measured in paired serum/cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of 15 patients with AIDS dementia complex (ADC) and 15 HIV-infected control subjects (11 with other central nervous system (CNS) infections and four without CNS infection). In this study levels of sTNFR-p55, sTNFR-p75 and sCD25 were elevated in the CSF of ADC patients and of the 11 patients with other CNS infections, whereas CSF-levels of the specific T cell marker sCD27 were lower in patients with ADC as compared to the control subjects with and without other CNS infections. This pattern suggests a relative failure of eliciting a T cell-mediated immune response intrathecally in patients with ADC.