Original scientific paper
Detection of T-lymphocyte activation markers in differential diagnosis of infections caused by hantaviruses or leptospira
Alemka Markotić
; Klinika za infektivne bolesti "Dr.Fran Mihaljević", Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and leptospirosis are zoonozes and important public health infectious diseases. There are still many problems in the diagnostic differentiation between HFRS and leptospiroses, at the clinical, and laboratory level, especially at the beginning of the disease when the clinical picture is almost identical, and routine diagnostic tests for specific detection of these pathogens also occasionally show nonspecific reactions. Within the T-lymphocytes population, we found a statistically significant increase (p = = 0.001) in the percentage of total activated T-lymphocytes (TCR+ HLA-DR+) in patients with HFRS infection compared to patients with leptospirosis and control group. Further analysis of the early activation markers on T-lymphocytic subpopulation found a significant increase in the percentage (p = 0.003) of activated cytotoxic (CD8+ CD71+) and percentage (p = 0.005) of activated helper (CD4+ CD25+) lymphocytes in patients with HFRS, in comparison to patients with leptospirosis and control group. Immunophenotyping of peripheral blood lymphocytes may play an important role as an additional diagnostic tool in differentiating HFRS from leptospirosis.
Keywords
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome; leptospirosis; immunophenotyping; flow cytometry; activation markers; CD4+; CD8+
Hrčak ID:
85611
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2011.
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