title: Longitudinal alteration of circulating dendritic cell subsets and its correlation with steroid treatment in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome.
abstract: In this study, we found that 74 patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) exhibited a rapid, dramatic decrease in numbers of circulating myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (mDCs and pDCs) during the first 2 weeks of illness (5.3- and 28.4-fold reductions for mDCs and pDCs compared with 25 healthy individuals, respectively), with slow return to normal cell numbers during convalescence (weeks 5-7 of illness on average). In addition, numbers of circulating CD4 and CD8 T cells exhibited milder reductions (2.1- and 1.8-fold at week 1) and earlier return to normal at a mean of weeks 3 and 4, respectively. A significant inverse correlation was found between numbers of DC and T-cell subsets and high-dose steroid treatment. Our novel findings thus suggest that the acute SARS-coronavirus infection probably contributes to the initial reduction of DC and T-cell subsets in blood, and that high-dose steroid administration may subsequently exacerbate and prolong low expression of the cell subsets. These findings will aid the framing of further studies of the immunopathogenesis of SARS.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Biological Therapy, Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing 302 Hospital, 100 Xi Si Huan Middle Road, Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dongping
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yonggang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xianzhi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: George F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Fu-Sheng
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000085962:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001483:Base Sequence; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D002268:Carboxypeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012254:Ribavirin; D002268:Carboxypeptidases; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; C000705307:ACE2 protein, human; D000085962:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2