TY - JOUR

T1 - Vß profiles in African children with acute cerebral or uncomplicated malaria: very focused changes among a remarkable global stability

AU - Loizon, Séverine

AU - Boeuf, Philippe

AU - Tetteh, John K A

AU - Goka, Bamenla

AU - Obeng-Adjei, George

AU - Kurtzhals, Jørgen A L

AU - Rogier, Christophe

AU - Akanmori, Bartholomew D

AU - Mercereau-Puijalon, Odile

AU - Hviid, Lars

AU - Behr, Charlotte

N1 - Keywords: Animals; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Child, Preschool; Flow Cytometry; Ghana; Humans; Infant; Malaria, Cerebral; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; T-Lymphocyte Subsets

PY - 2007

Y1 - 2007

N2 - T cells are thought to play a critical role in cerebral malaria pathogenesis. However, available evidences are restricted to rodent models in which V beta specific T cell expansion has been associated with neurological syndrome suggesting involvement of superantigens or dominant antigens. Using flow cytometry, we studied the peripheral V beta T cell repertoire of Ghanaian children with cerebral malaria, uncomplicated malaria and asymptomatic control children, to look for either expansion or deletion of specific V beta associated with cerebral malaria. At admission, the general pattern of the repertoire of the patients was very similar, with no major distortion compared to the control group a part a significant increase of the frequency of the V beta 21.3 subset correlating with disease severity and attributed to the CD4 subset. During convalescence very limited fluctuations were observed including a significant decrease of the V beta 21.3 subset and increase of the V beta 20 subset, a subset not detected at admission. The remarkable stability of the V beta repertoire observed in acute malaria either cerebral or uncomplicated argues against the idea that cerebral malaria would result from a T cell-mediated inflammatory shock syndrome driven by some dominant super-antigenic activity(ies). The significance of the reproducible increase of the CD4+V beta 21.3T cell subset deserves further investigations.

AB - T cells are thought to play a critical role in cerebral malaria pathogenesis. However, available evidences are restricted to rodent models in which V beta specific T cell expansion has been associated with neurological syndrome suggesting involvement of superantigens or dominant antigens. Using flow cytometry, we studied the peripheral V beta T cell repertoire of Ghanaian children with cerebral malaria, uncomplicated malaria and asymptomatic control children, to look for either expansion or deletion of specific V beta associated with cerebral malaria. At admission, the general pattern of the repertoire of the patients was very similar, with no major distortion compared to the control group a part a significant increase of the frequency of the V beta 21.3 subset correlating with disease severity and attributed to the CD4 subset. During convalescence very limited fluctuations were observed including a significant decrease of the V beta 21.3 subset and increase of the V beta 20 subset, a subset not detected at admission. The remarkable stability of the V beta repertoire observed in acute malaria either cerebral or uncomplicated argues against the idea that cerebral malaria would result from a T cell-mediated inflammatory shock syndrome driven by some dominant super-antigenic activity(ies). The significance of the reproducible increase of the CD4+V beta 21.3T cell subset deserves further investigations.

U2 - 10.1016/j.micinf.2007.05.019

DO - 10.1016/j.micinf.2007.05.019

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 17890120

VL - 9

SP - 1252

EP - 1259

JO - Microbes and Infection

JF - Microbes and Infection

SN - 1286-4579

IS - 11

ER -