Correlation between Torque tenovirus infection and serum levels of eosinophil cationic protein in children hospitalized for acute respiratory diseases.
Children with bronchopneumonia have considerably higher Torque tenovirus (TTV) loads than do children with milder acute respiratory diseases (ARDs). Moreover, in children with ARDs, high TTV loads correlate with low percentages of circulating CD3+ and CD4+ T cells and with elevated percentages of B cells, suggesting that TTV might be immunomodulatory. Here, we show that, in children with ARDs, the presence of TTV and TTV load correlate with concentrations of serum eosinophil cationic protein. The possible mechanisms whereby TTV infection might lead to augmented activity of eosinophils and the implications for pathogenesis are discussed.
Maggi
Fabrizio
F
Virology Section and Retrovirus Center, Department of Experimental Pathology, University of Pisa, Italy.
Pifferi
Massimo
M
Tempestini
Elena
E
Lanini
Letizia
L
De Marco
Emanuela
E
Fornai
Claudia
C
Andreoli
Elisabetta
E
Presciuttini
Silvano
S
Vatteroni
Maria Linda
ML
Pistello
Mauro
M
Ragazzo
Vincenzo
V
Macchia
Pierantonio
P
Pietrobelli
Angelo
A
Boner
Attilio
A
Bendinelli
Mauro
M
D000208:Acute Disease; D001798:Blood Proteins; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004266:DNA Virus Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000821:virology*; D047091:Eosinophil Granule Proteins; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000821:virology; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000097:blood*; D022783:Torque teno virus / Q000502:physiology*; D019562:Viral Load
D001798:Blood Proteins; D047091:Eosinophil Granule Proteins; D012260:Ribonucleases