Vß profiles in African children with acute cerebral or uncomplicated malaria: very focused changes among a remarkable global stability
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Journal | Microbes and Infection |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 11 |
Pages (from-to) | 1252-9 |
Number of pages | 7 |
ISSN | 1286-4579 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Bibliographical note
Keywords: Animals; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Child, Preschool; Flow Cytometry; Ghana; Humans; Infant; Malaria, Cerebral; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; T-Lymphocyte Subsets
ID: 6746436