Immuno 3 - Secondary immune deficiencies and HIV 1 infection Flashcards
o Commonest cause of secondary immune deficiency worldwide
• Malnutrition
B cell lymphoproliferative disorders associated with immune deficiency include
MM CML NHL MGUS - monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance
Clinical features of immune deficiences
- Infections – severe, persistent, recurrent, unusual
- Autoimmune conditions (immune cytopaenias)
- Allergic disease
- Persistent inflammation
- Cancer (particularly viral associated EBV, HHV-8)
First line ix if suspecting secondary immune deficiency/ immunodeficiency
FISH for an immunodeficiency
• FBC
o Hb
o Neutrophil/Lymphocyte/Platelet count
• Immunoglobulins o IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE o Low gG: Protein losing enteropathy Prednisolone >10mg/day o Low IgG + Low IgM: Monitor for B cell neoplasm Hx of exposure to rituximab o Low IgG + Low IgA Primary antibody deficiency
• Serum Complement
o C3, C4
o Screens for C1 inhibitory deficiency, Immune complex disease, Lupus
• HIV test
o 18-80 years
What is Goods’ syndrome?
Goods’ syndrome
- Thymoma and antibody deficiency
- Combined T and B cell (absent) defect
- CMV PJP and muco-cutaneous candida
- Autoimmune disease (Pure red cell aplasia, Myasthenia gravis, Lichen planus)
Other ix in secondary immunodeficiencies
U+Es
LFTs
Bone profile + Ca
Total protein + Albumin
Urine Protein: creatinine
Serum protein electrophoresis
o Separation of serum proteins by charge
o Detection of discrete bands
Monoclonal identified by immunofixation with labelled IgG, IgM, IgA anti-sera
Monoclonal protein associated with MM, WMG, NHL and MGUS
o SPE can miss free light chain disease
Serum free light chains
o Free light chain disease seen in 20% of MM cases
o Essential for work up of B cell lymphoproliferative disorders (SPE can miss free light chain disease)
WMG = Waldenstorm macroglobulinaemia
Secondary investigations for immune deficiencies
• Concentration of vaccine antibodies
o Tetanus toxin – protein antigen
o Pneumovax vaccine – carbohydrate antigen (all 23 serotypes or to individual pneumococcal serotypes)
o If reduced vaccine antibody levels:
Offer test immunisation with Pneumovax II + tetanus to investigate immune function
Looking at T cell independent activity
Failure to respond to vaccination:
• Part of dx criteria for a number of primary antibody deficiency syndromes
• Criteria for receipt of IgG replacement therapy for secondary antibody deficiency syndromes
• Analysis + quantification of lymphocyte subsets using flow cytometry o CD3+CD4+ T cells o CD3+CD8+ T cells o CD3-CD56+CD16+ NK cells o CD19+ B cells
Third line investigations for secondary immunodeficiencies
- Analysis of naïve + memory T and B cell subsets
- Assessment of IgG subclasses
- Determination of anti-cytokine and anti-complement antibodies
• Genetics
o Whole exome/Whole genome sequencing - ?primary or ?secondary immune defect
Which antibodies are responsible for the following conditions
SARS-CoV-2 infection
disseminated NTM (non-tuberculous mycobacteria) infection
cryptococcal infection
B cell lymphoproliferative disorders + SLE
o Anti-type 1 IFN antibodies (IFN-α and IFN-ω) SARS-CoV-2 infection
o Anti-type 2 IFN antibodies (IFN-γ) disseminated NTM (non-tuberculous mycobacteria) infection
o Anti-GM-CSF antibodies cryptococcal infection
o Anti-C1 inhibitor antibodies + acquired late onset angioedema B cell lymphoproliferative disorders + SLE
Management of secondary immune deficiency
- Treat underlying cause
- Advise on measures to reduce exposure to infection
• Immunisation
o Against respiratory viruses + bacteria
o Offer vaccines to household contacts
• Education to treat bacterial infections promptly
o May require higher + longer therapies courses
• Prophylactic antibiotics
o For confirmed recurrent bacterial infection
criteria for
IgG replacement therapy for secondary antibody deficiency syndromes
• Underlying cause of hypogammaglobinaemia cannot be reversed or reversal is contraindicated
OR
• Hypogammaglobulinemia associated with
o Drugs
o Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies targeted at B cells and plasma cells
o Post-HSCT
o NHL, CLL, MM or other relevant B-cell malignancy
AND
- Recurrent or severe bacterial infection despite continuous oral antibiotic therapy for 6 months
- IgG <4.0g/L (excluding paraprotein/monoclonal protein)
- Failure of vaccine response to unconjugated pneumococcal or other polysaccharide vaccine challenge
HIV
Time period between infection to symptomatic disease/AIDS
Highest risk of transmission
10 years
risk of transmission highest within the first 6 months
Mechanism of action of HIV
- Targets CD4+ cells
- Gp120 (initial binding) and gp41 (conformational change) binds to CD4+ T cells + HIV co-receptors
- Binds to CD4 + then chemokine co-receptor CCR5 or CXCR4
• Replicates via a DNA intermediate using reverse transcriptase – converts RNA into DNA which can be integrated into host cell’s genes
- Integrates into host genome
- HIV DNA transcribed into viral mRNA transcribed into viral proteins package + release of mature virus
• Gag protein – intrastructural support for HIV
HIV1 lineages
HIV-1 consists of 4 distinct lineages M, N, O, and P
Each lineage arose from independent transmission from chimpanzees (Group M,N,O) and gorillas (O,P)
Group M virus is pandemic, consists of 9 subtypes and 40 recombinant forms
What happens in HIV during acute phase chronic phase AIDS to
CD4 T cell counts in the blood
Mucosal CD4 t cells
Immune activation
CD4 T cell counts in the blood
acute phase - drop
chronic phase - small rise
AIDS - dramatic decline
Mucosal CD4 t cells
drop in acute phase, never recover
Immune activation
significant increase
What predicts disease progression in HIV
Degree of immune activation
o Degree of immune activation can predict progression of infection (independent of CD4+) + response to ART
Initial viral burden (viral load set point)
• 3-6 months after initial infection a steady state HIV-1 viral concentration is observed in blood viral load set point
• Progression to symptomatic HIV-1 infection stratified by VL set point
• Viral load set point correlated with long-term outcome
• Magnitude of VL set point influenced by
o Viral genotype
o CD8 T cell immune
o Host genetics (HLA, CCR5)
o Immune activation
Characteristic features of the immunology of HIV-1 infection
• CD4 T cell depletion
• Impairment of CD4 + CD8 T cell function – “exhaustion”
o Present but don’t work very well – don’t secrete antiviral inhibitory cytokines/chemokines, are not cytotoxic
• Disruption of lymph node architecture + impaired ability to generate protective T and B cell immune responses
• Loss of antigen-specific humoral immune responses
o Recurrent bacterial infections in sub-sacharan Africa are the main drivers of infection
• Chronic immune activation
How long does HIV need to integrate into T cells?
• Integration of HIV provirus in memory T cells within 72 hours of infection formation of long-lived reservoir of latent infection does not respond to current ART