Cd8^DimCd3⁺ Lymphocytes in Fever Patients Might Be Biomarkers of Active Ebv Infection and Exclusion Indicator of T-Lgll

Abstract

Background: Massive monoclonal or oligoclonal expansion of CD8⁺ T cells is a notable feature of primary infections of the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). However, the clinical significance of this expansion is not clear. Results: An increase in the CD8^dimCD3⁺ lymphocyte subset in patients with active EBV infection was due to caspase-8-dependent apoptosis was found using flow cytometry in this study. The number of these cells was associated with the illness severity. Pan-T-cell antigen and receptor analyses were also compared in patients with active EBV infections and T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia to provide additional diagnostic information. Conclusion: The increase in CD8^dimCD3⁺ cells could be a biomarker of active EBV infection and an exclusion indicator of T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia with flow cytometric analysis.

Keywords:

• apoptosis
• CD8^dimCD3⁺ lymphocyte
• EBV-DNA
• fever
• T-LGLL

Author contributions

T-T Zeng designed experiments and helped write the manuscript. Y-L Song helped performing the flow cytometric analysis and conducted data collection, patient following up, statistical analysis and article writing. B-F Wang help to conduct data collection, patient interview and following up. N-G Jiang and Y-M Jin performed all the flow cytometric analysis.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This study was supported in part by grants from the Sichuan Science and Technology Program (2019YJ0067), post-doctor research project, West China Hospital, Sichuan University (2018HXBH052), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2019SCU12039) and Scientific research project of Sichuan provincial health and family planning commission (17PJ478). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported in part by grants from the Sichuan Science and Technology Program (2019YJ0067), post-doctor research project, West China Hospital, Sichuan University (2018HXBH052), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2019SCU12039) and Scientific research project of Sichuan provincial health and family planning commission (17PJ478). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.