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Updated: Jun 19, 2025
An Efficient and Simple Method to Establish NK and T Cell Lines from Patients with Chronic Active Epstein-Barr Virus Infection
Published on: March 30, 2018
Clinical Characteristics of Peripheral Lymphocyte Subtypes in Chronic Active Epstein-Barr Virus Infection
Ang Wei1, Wenxin Ou1, Yunze Zhao1
1Hematology Center, Beijing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, National Key Discipline of Pediatrics, Key Laboratory of Major Disease in Children, National Center for Children's Health, Ministry of Education, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Background:
We aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics of peripheral Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected lymphocyte subtypes in children with chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV).
Methods:
The levels of peripheral EBV infection of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and CD56+ natural killer (NK) cells were determined by flow cytometry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in patients with CAEBV from July 2017 to July 2022.
Results:
In total, 112 children with CAEBV were evaluated. Of these, CD4+ type, CD8+ type, and CD56+ type were defined in 44, 21, and 47 patients, respectively. Patients with CD8+ T-cell type had a significantly higher frequency of rash, while hepatomegaly was more common in patients with CD4+ T-cell type. Generally, patients with CD8+ T-cell type had the lowest overall survival rate (P = .017). Patients treated with chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) had a better prognosis (P = .001). In multivariate analysis, rash, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, CD8+ T-cell type, and no decrease of plasma EBV-DNA after treatment were independent indicators of poor prognosis (P = .002, .024, .022, and .012, respectively).
Conclusions:
In children with CAEBV, rash was more frequent in patients with CD8+ T-cell type, whereas patients with CD4+ T-cell type were more likely to develop hepatomegaly. Patients with CD8+ T-cell type had a poor prognosis despite receiving chemotherapy or further HSCT.
