Journal Article

Concurrent Measurement of Dynamic Changes in Viral Load, Serum Enzymes, T Cell Subsets, and Cytokines in Patients with Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome: e91679

Li, Jun, Han, Yaping, Zhang, Lili, Liu, Ning, Wang, Shixia, Li, Shuang, Wang, Qian, Zhang, Yongxiang, Xing, Yiping, Kong, Lianhua

2014

Overview

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infection caused by a novel Bunyavirus. Analysis on the dynamic changes of clinical, laboratory, and immunological abnormalities associated with SFTS in a concurrent study is lacking. Thirty-three SFTS patients were admitted to Jiangsu People's Hospital, Nanjing, China, and diagnosis was made based on the clinical symptoms and positive viral RNA detected by RT-PCR. Four patients deceased and twenty-nine survived. Blood samples were collected every other day between Day 5 and Day 15 from the onset of fever. Samples from healthy volunteers were used as normal controls. Peak viral RNA load, serum enzymes, IL-6, and IL-10 were significantly higher in deceased patients compared to survivors. Viral load, serum enzymes, and cytokines declined in survivors within 2 weeks from onset of fever. CD69+ T cells were elevated early after infection while HLA-DR+ and CTLA4+ T cells were elevated during the recovery phase of those who survived. High level SFTSV viral load was concurrently observed with reduced PLT, elevated serum enzymes, elevated pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and activation of CD69+ T cells. The degree and pattern of changes in these parameters may indicate the clinical outcome in SFTSV-infected patients.

• Subject: Bunyavirus