| Title | Phase-1 studies of malariotherapy for HIV infecton. | | Author(s) | Chen X, Heimlich HJ, Xiao B, Liu S, Lu Y, Rao J, Spletzer EG | | Institution | The Municipal Health and Anti-Epidemic Station of Guangzhou, Guangzhou 510080. | | Source | Chin Med Sci J 1999 Dec; 14(4):224-8. | | MeSH | Adult
Animals
CD4 Lymphocyte Count
Follow-Up Studies
HIV Core Protein p24
HIV Infections
HIV Seropositivity
Humans
Hyperthermia, Induced
Malaria
Male
Neopterin
Plasmodium vivax
Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
beta 2-Microglobulin
| | Abstract | OBJECTIVE: To determine whether malariotherapy (an old therapy for treatment of neurosyphilis) improves some clinical and laboratory parameters of HIV-positive patients without iatrogenic complications.
METHODS: Total 8 asymptomatic HIV-1 positive subjects whose CD4 cell counts were over 250 x 10(6) cells/L were selected for the phase-1 studies of malariotherapy and were intravenously injected Plasmodia vivax to induce artificial malaria. Malaria was terminated with chloroquine after 10 to approximately 20 malarial fever episodes. Cell-bound CD4 levels were measured by APAAP (a solid-phase enzyme essay) and levels of neopterin (NPT), beta-2-microglobulin (B2M), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-2 (sTNF-RII), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and HIV P24 antigen were measured by ELISA. Patients were followed up to 24 to approximately 30 months.
RESULTS: CD4 levels increased in 5, NPT decreased in 7 of 8 patients; IL-2 increased in 5 of 6 patients after malariotherapy. The total trends of B2M and sTNF-RII basically remained stable. HIV P24 antigen remained undetectable in 6, remained detectably low level in 1 and experienced increase in 1 of 8 patients after malariotherapy. No any severe complications occurred in all 8 patients.
CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that malariotherapy basically is safe for HIV infection and it seems that the therapy improves some immunological parameters of HIV patients. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Clinical Trial
Clinical Trial, Phase I
Journal Article
| | PubMed ID | 12894896 |
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