[The dynamics of T lymphocyte subsets in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome].

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the T cell subsets changes in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) patients. METHODS: 22 HFRS patients who were diagnosed in Qin Huang Dao Third Hospital from April 2005 to July 2005 were enrolled in this study and divided into two groups according to clinical manifestations. T cell subsets of the 22 patients were monitored at week 1, 4 and 12. Another 56 subjects were enrolled as healthy controls. RESULTS: B cell count was normal during the 12 weeks in all the subjects. NK cell decreased significantly at week 1, and recovered at week 4 rapidly. CD(4)(+)T cell count was normal throughout the course of the disease, but the percentage of memory phenotype increased at week 1 and 4, reaching(64.1 +/- 17.5)% and (59.9 +/- 10.1)%, but recovered at week 12. CD(4)(+)CD(28)(+)T cells were normal throughout the entire study. CD(8)(+)T cell count increased dramatically at week 1 and 4, but finally recovered at week 12. The count of CD(8)(+)CD(28)(-)T cells increased significantly at week 1 in low-grade goup, but in median-grade group, this increase lagged to week 4 and was not as significant as in low-grade group. The percentage of CD(38)(+) or HLA-DR(+) subsets of CD(8)(+)T cell increased at week 1, 4. CONCLUSION: The results confirmed the relationship between HFRS progression and cellular immunity. It revealed that, at the early stage of HFRS, rapid and effective cytotoxicity T lymphocyte response may contribute to clear Hantavirus away and improve HFRS symptom.