Activation of Peripheral T Follicular Helper Cells during Acute Dengue Virus Infection
Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
10-5-2018
Abstract
Background. Follicular helper T cells (TFH) are specialized CD4 T cells required for B-cell help and antibody production. Methods. Given the postulated role of immune activation in dengue disease, we measured the expansion and activation of TFH in the circulation (peripheral TFH [pTFH]) collected from Thai children with laboratory-confirmed acute dengue virus (DENV) infection. Results. We found significant expansion and activation of pTFH subsets during acute infection with the highest frequencies of activated pTFH (PD1hi pTFH and PD1+CD38+ pTFH) detected during the critical phase of illness. Numbers of activated pTFH were higher in patients with secondary compared with primary infections and in patients with more severe disease. We also found a positive correlation between the frequencies of activated pTFH and the frequencies of plasmablasts. Conclusions. To our knowledge, this is the first ex vivo analysis of pTFH activation during acute DENV infection. Overall, our study supports the model that pTFH contribute to disease evolution during the critical stage of illness.
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Journal of Infectious Diseases
Volume
218
Issue
10
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Haltaufderhyde, Kirk, Anon Srikiatkhachorn, Sharone Green, Louis Macareo, Sangshin Park, Siripen Kalayanarooj, Alan L. Rothman, and Anuja Mathew. "Activation of Peripheral T Follicular Helper Cells during Acute Dengue Virus Infection." Journal of Infectious Diseases 218, 10 (2018). doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiy360.