Flow Cytometry as the Tool to Define Peripheral Blood Leukocyte Signatures in Acute EBV Infection

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Virology
• Hematology

Background:

• Primary Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, often manifesting as infectious mononucleosis (IM), is common in childhood.
• EBV primarily infects B cells, with control typically managed by natural killer and T cells in immunocompetent individuals.
• IM presents a broad spectrum of clinical findings and can cause severe complications in individuals with immune dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the surface marker characteristics of peripheral white blood cell populations in infectious mononucleosis (IM) patients.
• To identify novel immune cell alterations associated with acute EBV infection.
• To explore the potential of these findings in understanding IM immunobiology and related conditions.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of peripheral white blood cell populations using a comprehensive flow cytometry marker panel.
• Inclusion of 21 IM cases and 17 EBV-seropositive control cases.
• Evaluation of lymphocyte, neutrophil, and monocyte populations for surface marker expression.

Main Results:

• Observed novel alterations in lymphocyte, neutrophil, and monocyte populations in IM cases.
• Identified increased activated cytotoxic T cells, decreased B cells, and high T-large granular lymphocyte (T-LGL) populations.
• Demonstrated increased HLA-DR expression on T cells, lower CD11b on T-LGLs, increased CD16 on monocytes, and higher CD64 on neutrophils.

Conclusions:

• Findings suggest monocyte and neutrophil activation may contribute to acute clinical features of IM.
• The observed immune cell profile may enhance understanding of IM immunobiology.
• These markers could aid in investigating EBV control deficiencies in inherited and post-transplant conditions.