title: The novel subset of CD14+/CD16+ blood monocytes is expanded in sepsis patients.
abstract: Staining with CD14 and CD16 monoclonal antibodies will identify two monocyte subpopulations in human blood: a major population of regular monocytes, which strongly expresses the CD14 antigen (CD14++), and a minor population with weak expression of CD14 and expression of the CD16 antigen (CD14+/CD16+ cells). As shown herein, the latter cells account for 45 +/- 22 cells/microL and 9% +/- 5% of the monocytes in healthy control donors (n = 35). In septicemia patients, the CD14+/CD16+ cells can become a major population, with more than 50% of all monocytes in 3 of 18 patients and with more than 500 cells in 4 of 18 cases. There was no correlation of CD14+/CD16+ cells to any clinical parameter except for CD14+/CD16+ percentage and body temperature (P = .013). The CD14++ regular monocytes showed a substantial decrease in CD14 antigen density in 9 of 11 patients. Three-color immunofluorescence shows that the CD14+/CD16+ monocytes in septicemia patients when compared with the CD14++ monocytes exhibit a higher level of class II antigen and a lower level of CD11b and CD33 antigens, consistent with a more mature nature of the CD14+/CD16+ cells. Levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) were increased in septicemia patients; 3 of 5 patients with high numbers of CD14+/CD16+ cells (> 200/microL) had high levels of IL-6 (> 250/U/mL). These data suggest that septicemia may lead to substantial changes in blood monocyte composition and this may be related to elevated levels of cytokines such as IL-6.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Immunology, University of Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fingerle
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pforte
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Passlick
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blumenstein
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ströbel
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Ziegler-Heitbrock
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis*; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D017452:Receptors, IgG / Q000032:analysis*; D018805:Sepsis / Q000276:immunology*; D063268:Sialic Acid Binding Ig-like Lectin 3
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic; C571163:CD33 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors; D017452:Receptors, IgG; D063268:Sialic Acid Binding Ig-like Lectin 3