Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

CD38high/HLA-DR+ CD8+ T cells as potential biomarker of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis secondary to visceral Leishmania infection

  • BRIEF REPORT
  • Published:
European Journal of Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a cause of infection associated with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). The measurement of the CD8+ CD38high/HLA-DR+ T cells in children presenting with acute onset of shock and multisystem organ failure represents an important parameter to distinguish HLH from sepsis or healthy control.

Conclusion: We report a case series of 4 Italian children suffering from HLH secondary to visceral Leishmaniasis in which the lymphocyte subset assay suggests a potential role of CD38high/HLA-DR+ CD8+ T cells as HLH diagnostic biomarkers.

What is Known:

• Visceral Leishmaniasis is a well-known cause of infection associated with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).

• The measurement of the CD8+ CD38high/HLA-DR+ T cells in children presenting with acute onset of shock and multisystem organ failure represents an important diagnostically useful parameter to readily distinguish HLH from sepsis or healthy controls.

What is New:

• We report a case series of 4 Italian children suffering from HLH secondary to visceral Leishmaniasis in which the lymphocyte subset assay suggests a potential role of CD38high/HLA-DR+ CD8+ T cells as HLH diagnostic biomarker.

• The flow cytometry assay, performed at the disease onset before starting treatment, revealed a mean percentage value of CD38 cells of 36.95% among CD8+ T cells.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Data availability

The dataset analysed during the current study is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

CD:

Cluster of differentiation

HLA:

Human leukocyte antigen

HLH:

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

References

  1. Shi Q, Huang M, Li X, Zheng X, Wang F, Zou Y, Wang L, Jia J (2021) Clinical and laboratory characteristics of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis induced by Leishmania infantum infection. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 15(11):e0009944

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/leishmaniasis. Accessed December 2022

  3. Blázquez-Gamero D, Domínguez-Pinilla N, Chicharro C, Negreira S, Galán P, Pérez-Gorricho B, Calvo C, Prieto L, De la Parte M, Otheo E, Vivanco JL, Ruiz-Contreras J, Madrid Leishmaniasis Study Group (2015) Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in children with visceral leishmaniasis. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 34(6):667–669

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Ben HK, Ben RM, Habboul Z, Khattat N, Mejaouel H, Said-Latiri H et al (2017) Risk factors for mortality of children with zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis in Central Tunisia. PLoS ONE 12(12):e189725

    Google Scholar 

  5. https://www.epicentro.iss.it/leishmaniosi/epidemiologia. Accessed April 2022

  6. Henter JI, Horne A, Aricó M et al (2007) HLH-2004: diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Pediatr Blood Cancer 48(2):124–131

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Chaturvedi V, Marsh RA, Zoref-Lorenz A, Owsley E, Chaturvedi V, Nguyen TC, Goldman JR, Henry MM, Greenberg JN, Ladisch S, Hermiston ML, Jeng M, Naqvi A, Allen CE, Wong HR, Jordan MB (2021) T-cell activation profiles distinguish hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and early sepsis. Blood 137(17):2337–2346

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. De Matteis A, Colucci M, Rossi MN, Caiello I, Merli P, Tumino N, Bertaina V, Pardeo M, Bracaglia C, Locatelli F, De Benedetti F, Prencipe G (2022) Expansion of CD4dimCD8+ T cells characterizes macrophage activation syndrome and other secondary HLH. Blood 140(3):262–273

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rheumatology Unit, Meyer Children’s University Hospital, Viale Gaetano Pieraccini 24, Florence, 50139, Italy

    Maria Vincenza Mastrolia, Ilaria Maccora, Ilaria Pagnini & Edoardo Marrani

  2. Immunology and Molecular Microbiology Unit, Meyer Children’s University Hospital, Florence, Italy

    Silvia Boscia & Laura Pisano

  3. Department of Health Sciences, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, University of Florence, Meyer Children’s University Hospital, Florence, Italy

    Luisa Galli

  4. Immunology and Molecular Microbiology Unit, Department of Health Sciences, Meyer Children’s University Hospital, University of Florence , Florence, Italy

    Lorenzo Lodi, Silvia Ricci & Chiara Azzari

  5. NEUROFARBA Department, Rheumatology Unit, Meyer Children’s University Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    Gabriele Simonini

Authors
  1. Maria Vincenza Mastrolia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Silvia Boscia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Luisa Galli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lorenzo Lodi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Laura Pisano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ilaria Maccora
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Silvia Ricci
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Ilaria Pagnini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Edoardo Marrani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Chiara Azzari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Gabriele Simonini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

MVM, SB, and LP: data curation, formal analysis, investigation, and writing—original draft. MVM: conceptualization, methodology, project administration, supervision, and writing. EM, IP, IM, SR, and LL: investigation and validation. GS, CA, and LG: conceptualization, methodology, and supervision. All the authors reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria Vincenza Mastrolia.

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval

Not applicable.

Consent to participate

Written informed consent for patients’ information and images to be published were provided by the legally authorized representatives.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Communicated by Tobias Tenenbaum.

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 23 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mastrolia, M.V., Boscia, S., Galli, L. et al. CD38high/HLA-DR+ CD8+ T cells as potential biomarker of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis secondary to visceral Leishmania infection. Eur J Pediatr 182, 1429–1432 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-022-04789-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-022-04789-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation