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. 2003 Jul;77(14):7872-9.
doi: 10.1128/jvi.77.14.7872-7879.2003.

Increased thymic output during acute measles virus infection

Sallie R Permar  1 , William J Moss, Judith J Ryon, Daniel C Douek, Mwaka Monze, Diane E Griffin
Affiliations

Increased thymic output during acute measles virus infection

Sallie R Permar et al. J Virol. 2003 Jul.

Abstract

Measles virus infects thymic epithelia, induces a transient lymphopenia, and impairs cell-mediated immunity, but thymic function during measles has not been well characterized. Thirty Zambian children hospitalized with measles were studied at entry, hospital discharge, and at 1-month follow-up and compared to 17 healthy children. During hospitalization, percentages of naïve (CD62L+, CD45RA+) CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes decreased (P = 0.01 for both), and activated (HLA-DR+, CD25+, or CD69+) CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes increased (P = 0.02 and 0.03, respectively). T-cell receptor rearrangement excision circles (TRECs) in measles patients were increased in CD8+ T cells at entry compared to levels at hospital discharge (P = 0.02) and follow-up (P = 0.04). In CD4+ T cells, the increase in TRECS occurred later but was more sustained. At discharge, TRECs in CD4+ T cells (P = 0.05) and circulating levels of interleukin-7 (P = 0.007) were increased compared to control values and remained elevated for 1 month, similar to observations in two measles virus-infected rhesus monkeys. These findings suggest that a decrease in thymic output is not the cause of the lymphopenia and depressed cellular immunity associated with measles.

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Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
Box plots of the percent naïve, memory, and activated CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes in children with measles and control children. Percent CD4+ (A) and CD8+ (B) T lymphocytes with naïve phenotype (CD45RA+, CD62L+), percent CD4+ (C) and CD8+ (D) T lymphocytes with memory phenotype (CD45RO+, CD25−, CD69−, HLA-DR2+), and percent CD4+ (E) and CD8+ (F) T lymphocytes with activated phenotype (CD25+, CD69+, or HLA-DR+) in children with measles at study entry (n = 30), hospital discharge (n = 19 to 20), and 1-month follow-up (n = 10) and in control children (n = 17). P values were calculated by using the Mann-Whitney U test.
FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.
Box plots of the log number of TRECs per 106 CD4+ (A) and CD8+ (B) T lymphocytes in children with measles and control children. Entry, study entry; Disch, hospital discharge; 1 mo, 1-month follow-up. P values were calculated by using the Mann-Whitney U test.
FIG. 3.
FIG. 3.
Box plots of plasma IL-7 levels in children with measles and control children. Group sizes were as follows: study entry (n = 49), hospital discharge (n = 45), 1-month follow-up (n = 31), and controls (n = 18). P values were calculated by using the Mann-Whitney U test.
FIG. 4.
FIG. 4.
Mean percent CD4+ (A) and CD8+ (B) T lymphocytes with naïve phenotype (CD45RA+) and TRECs per 103 CD4+ (C) and CD8+ (D) lymphocytes during acute and convalescent phases of measles in two rhesus monkeys.
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