Epstein-Barr virus effect on frequency of functionally distinct T cell subsets in children with infectious...

Epstein-Barr virus is a common human pathogen which infects the great majority of population worldwide. A striking proliferation of CD8⁺ T cells is an immune response to EBV invasion of B lymphocytes during infectious mononucleosis. The aim of the study was to analyze frequencies of CD28⁺CD95⁻, CD28⁺CD95⁺, CD28⁻CD95⁺ T cell subsets putative naïve (T(N)), central (T(CM)) and effector memory (T(EM)) T cells in children with infectious mononucleosis.

Multiparameter flow cytometric analysis of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell subsets was performed in 19 children with acute infectious mononucleosis.

The CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio was found to be decreased (0.53) in children with infectious mononucleosis. Median T(N), T(CM), T(EM) frequencies were estimated to be 3.7, 4.5, 15.1% of CD8⁺ and 23, 59.3, 5.5% of CD4⁺ T cells, respectively. In the present study we demonstrated negative correlations between CD8⁺CD28⁺CD95⁺ and CD8⁺CD28⁻CD95⁺ T cells and both VCA IgM antibody titers and disease duration. However, no such correlation was found when subset of CD4⁺ T cells or CD8⁺CD28⁺CD95⁻ cells was compared.

We conclude that there is a rapid decrease in the number of memory CD8⁺ T cells in early acute stage of infectious mononucleosis.