Cellular immune response to Hantaan virus nucleocapsid protein in the acute phase of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome: correlation with disease severity.
BACKGROUND
The cellular immune response to Hantaan virus (HTNV) is incompletely understood, especially in humans.


METHODS
To investigate the cellular immunity during acute HTNV infection, the magnitude of the CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell responses to HTNV nucleocapsid protein was quantitated by direct ex vivo interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot analysis, using an array of overlapping peptides.


RESULTS
We found that the combined frequencies of HTNV-specific T cells at the earliest available time point (5-8 days after fever onset) were significantly higher in patients who had mild or moderate hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) than in those who had severe or critical HFRS (P= .006). Moreover, these frequencies were higher in patients with subsequent mild renal failure (maximum serum creatinine level, <or=707 micromol/L) than in those with subsequent severe renal failure (maximum serum creatinine level, >707 micromol/L) (P= .006). Kinetic analysis showed that a decrease in the serum creatinine level during the acute phase of illness was often accompanied by an increase in the magnitude of IFN-gamma-producing T cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Taken together with published data on the similar associations with neutralizing antibody, these data suggest that IFN-gamma-producing T cells may help reduce the risk of progression to acute renal failure caused by HTNV infection.
Wang
Meiliang
M
Department of Immunology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Wang
Jiuping
J
Zhu
Yong
Y
Xu
Zhuwei
Z
Yang
Kun
K
Yang
Angang
A
Jin
Boquan
B
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D018063:Hantaan virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006480:Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
D036022:Capsid Proteins; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; C111782:nucleocapsid protein, Hantaan virus; D007371:Interferon-gamma