title: V beta profiles in African children with acute cerebral or uncomplicated malaria: very focused changes among a remarkable global stability.
abstract: T cells are thought to play a critical role in cerebral malaria pathogenesis. However, available evidences are restricted to rodent models in which V beta specific T cell expansion has been associated with neurological syndrome suggesting involvement of superantigens or dominant antigens. Using flow cytometry, we studied the peripheral V beta T cell repertoire of Ghanaian children with cerebral malaria, uncomplicated malaria and asymptomatic control children, to look for either expansion or deletion of specific V beta associated with cerebral malaria. At admission, the general pattern of the repertoire of the patients was very similar, with no major distortion compared to the control group a part a significant increase of the frequency of the V beta 21.3 subset correlating with disease severity and attributed to the CD4 subset. During convalescence very limited fluctuations were observed including a significant decrease of the V beta 21.3 subset and increase of the V beta 20 subset, a subset not detected at admission. The remarkable stability of the V beta repertoire observed in acute malaria either cerebral or uncomplicated argues against the idea that cerebral malaria would result from a T cell-mediated inflammatory shock syndrome driven by some dominant super-antigenic activity(ies). The significance of the reproducible increase of the CD4+V beta 21.3T cell subset deserves further investigations.
authors: Unité d'Immunologie Moléculaire des Parasites, CNRS URA 2581, Département de Parasitologie, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75724 Paris cedex 15, France.
authors: Séverine
authors: S
authors: Loizon
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: Boeuf
authors: John K A
authors: JK
authors: Tetteh
authors: Bamenla
authors: B
authors: Goka
authors: George
authors: G
authors: Obeng-Adjei
authors: Jørgen A L
authors: JA
authors: Kurtzhals
authors: Christophe
authors: C
authors: Rogier
authors: Bartholomew D
authors: BD
authors: Akanmori
authors: Odile
authors: O
authors: Mercereau-Puijalon
authors: Lars
authors: L
authors: Hviid
authors: Charlotte
authors: C
authors: Behr
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005869:Ghana; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016779:Malaria, Cerebral / Q000276:immunology*; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000032:analysis*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell