title: Massive plasmablast response elicited in the acute phase of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
abstract: Beside its key diagnostic value, the humoral immune response is thought to play a protective role in hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. However, little is known about the cell source of these antibodies during ongoing human infection. Herein we characterized B-cell subsets circulating in Andes-virus-infected patients. A notable potent plasmablast (PB) response that increased 100-fold over the baseline levels was observed around 1 week after the onset of symptoms. These PB present a CD3negCD19lowCD20negCD38hiCD27hiCD138+/-IgA+/-surface phenotype together with the presence of cytoplasmic functional immunoglobulins. They are large lymphocytes (lymphoblasts) morphologically coincident with the 'immunoblast-like' cells that have been previously described during blood cytology examinations of hantavirus-infected patients. Immunoreactivity analysis of white blood cell lysates suggests that some circulating PB are virus-specific but we also observed a significant increase of reactivity against virus-unrelated antigens, which suggests a possible bystander effect by polyclonal B-cell activation. The presence of this large and transient PB response raises the question as to whether these cells might have a protective or pathological role during the ongoing hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and suggest their practical application as a diagnostic/prognostic biomarker.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Inmunología de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Medicina Experimental (IMEX)-CONICET-Academia Nacional de Medicina (ANM), Ciudad autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9130-3933
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Nacional de Referencia para Hantavirus, Servicio de Biología Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas, ANLIS -'Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán', Ciudad autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Ayelén
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iglesias
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Fisiología de procesos Inflamatorios, IMEX-CONICET-ANM, Ciudad autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Verónica I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Landoni
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Nacional de Referencia para Hantavirus, Servicio de Biología Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas, ANLIS -'Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán', Ciudad autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bellomo
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Enfermedades Tropicales, Hospital San Vicente de Paúl, Orán, Salta, Argentina.
authors.forename: Agostina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Enfermedades Tropicales, Hospital San Vicente de Paúl, Orán, Salta, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Córdoba
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Inmunología de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Medicina Experimental (IMEX)-CONICET-Academia Nacional de Medicina (ANM), Ciudad autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Balboa
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Fisiología de procesos Inflamatorios, IMEX-CONICET-ANM, Ciudad autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gabriela C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Inmunología de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Medicina Experimental (IMEX)-CONICET-Academia Nacional de Medicina (ANM), Ciudad autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Del Carmen
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Sasiain
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Nacional de Referencia para Hantavirus, Servicio de Biología Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas, ANLIS -'Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán', Ciudad autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Valeria P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Inmunología de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Medicina Experimental (IMEX)-CONICET-Academia Nacional de Medicina (ANM), Ciudad autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schierloh
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005260:Female; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D018804:Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000378:metabolism; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D054448:Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015703:Antigens, CD; D001324:Autoantigens; D015415:Biomarkers; D007070:Immunoglobulin A
keywords: Andes virus; B cell; hantavirus pulmonary syndrome; plasmablast; polyclonal activation