Elevated expansion of follicular helper T cells in peripheral blood from children with acute measles infection
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Elevated expansion of follicular helper T cells in peripheral blood from children with acute measles infection Weiyun Shen1, Hongzhou Ye2, Xilin Zhang1, Lixia Huo1, Jingli Shen1, Li Zhu2, Xiang Wang1 and Dawei Cui3*
Abstract Background: Measles outbreaks have threatened the global elimination and eradication of measles in recent years. Measles virus (MeV)-specific antibodies are successful in clearing MeV infection. Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells play a crucial role in promoting antibody production. This study investigated the potential role of Tfh cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from children with acute MeV infection. Results: The frequencies of CXCR5+CD4+ Tfh, ICOShigh Tfh, and PD-1high Tfh cells in PBMCs and levels of IL-6 and IL21 in plasma were significantly elevated in patients with acute MeV infection. Moreover, a positive correlation was discovered among the frequency of ICOShigh Tfh cells, plasma levels of IL-21 and optical density (OD) values of MeV-specific IgM antibodies in the patients with acute MeV infection. However, elevated plasma MeV-specific NAb titres were not associated with the frequency of Tfh, ICOShigh Tfh, or PD-1high Tfh cells in the patients with acute MeV infection. Conclusion: These results suggest that an elevated Tfh cell frequency and associated molecules possibly play a key role in children with acute MeV infection, which contributes to the prevention and treatment of MeV infection in children. Keywords: Measles virus, Follicular helper T cells, Bcl-6, IL-21, Neutralizing antibody
Background Measles, which is caused by measles virus (MeV), is a highly contagious disease characterized by fever, maculopapular rash, conjunctivitis, cough and Koplik spots, and other complications include pneumonia, encephalitis, and death [1, 2]. The measles vaccine is a highly safe and effective vaccine for controlling and interrupting MeV infection; however, cases of measles have risen to high levels globally in recent years [3–7]. An estimated 110,000 deaths were reported in 2017, most of which were children under 5 years of age [8, 9]. Measle cases rose by 300% in the first three months of 2019 in * Correspondence: [email protected] 3 Department of Blood Transfusion, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang, China Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
comparison with the same period in 2018 [10]. The elimination and eradication of measles remains a serious and emergent problem worldwide. Evidence suggests that MeV-specific IgM/IgG antibody titres in serum are unexpectedly low among cohorts who had high coverage of two-dose vaccination, and low levels of MeV-specific antibodies are closely associated with outbreaks of measles infection; conversely, high levels of MeV-specific antibodies are required to achieve elimination and eradication of MeV infection [4, 11–13]. MeV-specific antibodies are produced by mature B cells that are helped by Th2 cells charac
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