All Posts Tagged With: "Influenza"

Full article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2334-10-205.pdf

Excerpt:

Results

An informative pattern was obtained by combining two of the analysed parameters: (i), the fractions of HLA-DR-expressing CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells, respectively, and (ii), the level of CD40 on CD14+ CD16- monocytes. Patients infected with gram-negative bacteria or EBV showed a marked increase in monocyte CD40, while this effect was less pronounced for tuberculosis, borrelia and influenza. The bacterial agents could be distinguished from the viral agents by the T cell result; CD4+ T cells reacting in bacterial infection, and the CD8+ T cells dominating for the viruses. Patients with systemic autoimmunity also showed a increased activation, but with similar engagement of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Analysis of soluble TNF alpha receptors was less informative due to a large inter-individual variation.

Conclusion

Immunophenotyping including the combination of the fractions of HLA-DR expressing T cell subpopulations with the level of CD40 on monocytes produces an informative pattern, differentiating between bacterial origin, viral origin and systemic autoimmunity. Furthermore, it provides some indication of a subacute bacterial infection, such as borreliosis or tuberculosis. This flow cytometric method is suitable for clinical diagnostic laboratories, and may help in the assessment of patients with uncharacteristic inflammatory symptoms.

Avian influenza can cause a predisposition to Parkinson’s disease, according to research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Continued