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Updated: Mar 14, 2026
Phenotypic and Functional Analysis of Activated Regulatory T Cells Isolated from Chronic Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus-infected Mice
Published on: June 22, 2016
[Changes in blood CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in children with severe purulent meningitis]
Wei Xu1, Miao Yin, Ming-Chao Huo
1Department of Pediatrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China. liucf@sj-hospital.org.
Insights
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) may be suppressed in children with severe purulent meningitis. This suppression is linked to increased inflammation and higher mortality rates in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Immunology
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Severe purulent meningitis poses a significant threat to children.
- Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a crucial role in immune regulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate early-stage changes in CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in children with severe purulent meningitis.
- To explore the potential implications of these Treg alterations on disease severity and outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of clinical data from 39 pediatric patients with severe purulent meningitis.
- Classification of patients into 'decrease' and 'non-decrease' groups based on Tregs count within 12 hours of hospitalization.
- Analysis of associations between Treg levels, clinical manifestations, laboratory markers, and prognosis.
Main Results:
- A notable proportion of patients (33-46%) exhibited decreased Tregs.
- The Tregs decrease group showed a higher incidence of leukopenia and elevated serum procalcitonin levels.
- All four deaths occurred within the Tregs decrease group, indicating a poorer prognosis.
Conclusions:
- Early-stage severe purulent meningitis in children may be associated with suppressed Tregs.
- Treg suppression could be linked to more severe inflammatory responses and increased mortality.
- Further research is warranted to confirm the role of Tregs in pediatric meningitis.
Objective:
To preliminarily study the changes in CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in children with severe purulent meningitis at the early stage and its possible implications.
Methods:
A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 39 children with severe purulent meningitis who were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit from August 2014 to December 2015. According to whether Tregs count was decreased within 12 hours of hospitalization (considering Tregs count <410/mm3 as decreased), they were divided into two groups: decrease group and non-decrease group. The associations between the changes in Tregs cells and the clinical manifestations, laboratory marker levels, and prognosis were analyzed.
Results:
Of the 39 cases, 13 (33%) showed a decrease in the proportion of Tregs cells (<31%) and 18 (46%) showed a decrease in the absolute Tregs cell count (<410/mm3). Four deaths were all in the Tregs decrease group. Compared with the non-decrease group, the decrease group showed a significantly higher proportion of children with a peripheral blood leukocyte count lower than the normal range and a significantly greater increase in the level of serum procalcitonin (P<0.05).
Conclusions:
Tregs might be suppressed in children with severe purulent meningitis at the early stage. And its suppression could be related to the severer inflammation reaction and higher mortality in those patients.
