title: Defective killer cell activity in patients with chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection.
abstract: Natural killer (NK) cell activity, lymphokine activated killer (LAK) activity and Epstein-Barr virus specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (EBV-CTL) activity were examined in 10 children with chronic active EB-virus infection and an adult with persistently positive early antigen-antibody to EB-virus. NK cell activity against erythroleukemia cell line K-562 was significantly (p less than 0.005) lower in the patients (22.3 +/- 8.5%, mean +/- SD) than in normal controls (40.4 +/- 15.9%). Spontaneous cytotoxicity against an EB-virus transformed autologous lymphoblastoid cell line was 15.0 +/- 7.6% in the patients, and was comparable to spontaneous cytotoxicity activity in normal controls (11.7 +/- 4.3%). LAK activity against Raji cells was significantly (p less than 0.02) lower in the patients (14.6 +/- 11.4%) than in normal controls (29.2 +/- 15.9%). EBV-CTL activity against an EB-virus transformed autologous lymphoblastoid cell line was significantly (p less than 0.005) lower in the patients (11.8 +/- 5.5%) than in seropositive normal controls (33.7 +/- 14.7%). No regression of the lymphoblastoid cell line was observed when EBV-CTL activity of the patients was tested by regression assay. It is conceivable that defects in both EB-virus specific and nonspecific killer cell activities play important roles in the pathogenetic abnormalities which allow EB-virus infection to progress to a chronic active state.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kochi Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wakiguchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujieda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wakiguchi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurashige
mesh_terms: D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007244:Infectious Mononucleosis / Q000276:immunology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D008222:Lymphokines