[Characterization of peripheral dendritic cell subsets and its implication in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the dynamic changes of dendritic cell subsets in peripheral blood of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and evaluate their roles in the immunopathogenesis of SARS.


METHODS
Flow cytometry was applied to study the dynamic alteration of the number and frequencies in circulating DC cell subsets in 30 SARS patients including critical SARS (n = 11) and general SARS (n = 19). The reasons and clinic significances of the peripheral blood DC subsets changes in SARS patients were also analyzed in our study.


RESULTS
The patients in critical status had a 9-week course of disease, longer than the 6-week course observed in subjects in general status. The frequency of peripheral DC cell subsets significantly dropped beginning from the onset of symptom in SARS patients and was maintained at significant low levels during the following 4 - 5 weeks, 1.7 +/- 1.8, 5.3 +/- 5.0/ micro l for DC1, 0.57 +/- 1.02, 0.98 +/- 1.11/ micro l for DC2 for cases in critical and general statuses, respectively, compared with healthy subjects; more importantly, the pDC2 even disappeared in the patients who died from SARS diseases. The possible reasons responsible for the alteration of DC subsets in peripheral blood is likely to be the direct attack of SARS-CoVin circulation and be partially involved the application of large dose of steroid. The frequency in DC cell subsets returned to normal level in convalescent stage.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results showed SARS patients had a significant decrease of circulating DC cell subset frequency, which maybe lead to the host immunodeficiency response to SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV).
Research Center for Bio-therapy, PLA 302 Hospital, Beijing 100039, China.
Zheng
Z
Zhang
Fu-sheng
FS
Wang
Min
M
Zhao
Jing-chao
JC
Liu
Dong-ping
DP
Xu
Lei
L
Jin
Ju-mei
JM
Chen
Min
M
Wang
Fu-liang
FL
Chu
D000328:Adult; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D013997:Time Factors