Viruses (Dec 2020)

Characterization of the IL-17 and CD4+ Th17 Cells in the Clinical Course of Dengue Virus Infections

  • Luis Alberto Sánchez-Vargas,
  • Karina Guadalupe Hernández-Flores,
  • Pablo Thomas-Dupont,
  • Irma Yadira Izaguirre-Hernández,
  • Elvis Efraín Sánchez-Marce,
  • Ricardo Remes-Ruiz,
  • Salvador Fonseca-Coronado,
  • Pablo Augurio Hernández-Romano,
  • María Estrella Flores-Collins,
  • Héctor Vivanco-Cid

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/v12121435
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 12
p. 1435

Abstract

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The aims of this study were to determine the involvement of interleukin 17 (IL-17) and IL-17-producing cells in dengue pathogenesis. Blood samples from dengue virus (DENV)-infected patients were collected on different days after the onset of symptoms. Patients were classified according to 1997 World Health Organization guidelines. Our study examined 152 blood samples from dengue fever (DF, n = 109) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF, n = 43) patients and 90 blood samples from healthy controls (HC). High serum concentrations of IL-17A and IL-22 were also associated with DHF (IL-17A [DHF vs. DF, p p p p p < 0.0001). Consistent with the IL-17-biased immune response in DHF patients, we performed ex vivo activation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from DHF patients and flow cytometry analysis showed a robust IL-17-biased immune response, characterized by a high frequency of CD4+IL-17+ producing cells. Our results suggests IL-17-producing cells and their related cytokines can play a prominent role in this viral disease.

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