Plasma Inflammatory Markers and their Association with CryptosporidiumInfection in People Living with HIV in Zambia

The immune status of the host plays a critical role in determining susceptibility to Cryptosporidium infection, as well as the disease severity and outcome. We conducted a descriptive analytical cross-sectional study in Zambian adults ≥ 18 years to investigate the association between Cryptosporidium infection and plasma cytokine levels in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLHIV). A cohort of PLHIV was dichotomized into 16 Cryptosporidium-positive and 23 Cryptosporidium-negative individuals. People living with HIV with Cryptosporidium infection were matched with PLHIV who were not infected with Cryptosporidium by age and sex. A total of 39 plasma samples, one from each member of the cohort, were analysed for cytokines (interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 10 (IL-10), interferon gamma (INF-γ), and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cytokine profiles were compared between Cryptosporidium-positive and Cryptosporidium-negative individuals. Plasma IL-10 levels were similar, and not significantly different between the Cryptosporidium-positive and Cryptosporidium-negative individuals. Although median plasma TGF-β1 levels were almost 3-fold higher in controls than cases, this difference was not statistically significant. IL-6 and IFN-