Trial reportAIDS (London, England)2012
Adjunctive interferon-γ immunotherapy for the treatment of HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in AIDS (London, England), 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 187 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
187 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 279 citations in OpenAlex.
- Single nucleotide polymorphisms are associated with strain-specific virulence differences among clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans.Nature communications · 2024Pooled it
- Global guideline for the diagnosis and management of cryptococcosis: an initiative of the ECMM and ISHAM in cooperation with the ASM.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2024Guideline
- Equity in clinical trials for HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis: A systematic review of global representation and inclusion of patients and researchers.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021Pooled it
- Cryptococcosis in pregnancy and the postpartum period: Case series and systematic review with recommendations for management.Medical mycology · 2020Pooled it
- Mortality from HIV-associated meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2020Pooled it
- Treatment for HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Population Pharmacokinetic Model and Meta-analysis of Outcomes of Amphotericin B Deoxycholate Use in Adults with Cryptococcal Meningitis.Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy · 2018Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Longitudinal multiomic signatures of ARDS and sepsis inflammatory phenotypes identify pathways associated with mortality.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2026Trial
- Do Intracerebral Cytokine Responses Explain the Harmful Effects of Dexamethasone in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-associated Cryptococcal Meningitis?Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2019Trial
- Adjunctive Dexamethasone in HIV-Associated Cryptococcal Meningitis.The New England journal of medicine · 2016Trial
- Toxicity of Amphotericin B Deoxycholate-Based Induction Therapy in Patients with HIV-Associated Cryptococcal Meningitis.Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy · 2015Trial
- Trial
- Cerebrospinal fluid cytokine profiles predict risk of early mortality and immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome in HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis.PLoS pathogens · 2015Trial
- Efficient phagocytosis and laccase activity affect the outcome of HIV-associated cryptococcosis.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2014Trial
- Interferon-gamma as adjunctive immunotherapy for invasive fungal infections: a case series.BMC infectious diseases · 2014Trial
- The phenotype of the Cryptococcus-specific CD4+ memory T-cell response is associated with disease severity and outcome in HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2013Trial
- The host transcriptional response to real-world cryptococcosis in the setting of advanced HIV disease defines dysregulated immune responses that underlie increased vulnerability to infection.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2026Article
- WHO Critical Priority Fungi: A Comprehensive Review of Antifungal Resistance, Emerging Therapeutic Strategies, and the Potential of Antifungal Peptides.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- New approaches for cryptococcosis treatment and prevention-a systematic review.Journal of thoracic disease · 2026Review
127 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundInterferon-gamma (IFNγ) is of key importance in the immune response to Cryptococcus neoformans. Mortality related to cryptococcal meningitis remains high, and novel treatment strategies are needed. We performed a randomized controlled trial to determine whether addition of IFNγ to standard therapy increased the rate of clearance of cryptococcal infection in HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis.
methodsPatients were randomized to amphotericin B 1 mg/kg per day and 5FC 100 mg/kg per day for 2 weeks (standard therapy), standard therapy and IFNγ1b 100 μg days 1 and 3 (IFNγ two doses), or standard therapy and IFNγ1b 100 μg days 1, 3, 5, 8, 10 and 12 (IFNγ six doses). Primary outcome was rate of clearance of cryptococcus from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (early fungicidal activity, EFA) calculated from serial quantitative cultures, previously shown to be independently associated with survival.
resultsRate of fungal clearance was significantly faster in IFNγ containing groups than with standard treatment. Mean EFA [log colony forming unit (CFU)/ml per day] was -0.49 with standard treatment, -0.64 with IFNγ two doses, and -0.64 with IFNγ six doses. Difference in EFA was -0.15 [confidence interval (95% CI) -0.02 to -0.27, P=0.02] between standard treatment and IFNγ two doses, and -0.15 (95% CI -0.05 to -0.26, P=0.006) between standard treatment and IFNγ six doses. Mortality was 16% (14/88) at 2 weeks and 31% (27/87) at 10 weeks, with no significant difference between groups. All treatments were well tolerated.
conclusionAddition of short-course IFNγ to standard treatment significantly increased the rate of clearance of cryptococcal infection from the CSF, and was not associated with any increase in adverse events. Two doses of IFNγ are as effective as six doses.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.