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Regulatory T cells and IL-10 as modulators of chikungunya disease outcome: a preliminary study

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Abstract

Regulatory T (Treg) cells hold centre stage in regulating the immune responses in most viral infections. However, their involvement in chikungunya infection is unexplored. In the current study, the frequencies and functionality of peripheral Treg and T effector (Teff) cells were assessed during different phases of chikungunya by flow cytometry and in-vitro cytokine assays. Treg cells were also studied in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, whose symptoms closely mimic chronic chikungunya arthritis patients. Frequency of Treg cells was lower in acute and chronic chikungunya arthritis patients than in recovered individuals and controls, and comparable among recovered individuals and controls. Treg/Teff ratio was lower in acute than in chronic chikungunya arthritis patients, recovered individuals and controls. Higher secretion of CHIKV specific IL-10 was observed in recovered individuals than in acute, chronic chikungunya arthritis patients and controls. Frequencies of Treg and Teff cells were higher and Treg/Teff ratio was lower in RA patients than in chronic chikungunya arthritis patients. The results indicate that reduction of Treg cells was associated with ongoing CHIKV infection and normalization of Treg cells with resolution of disease. Contrasting phenotypic data in RA and chronic chikungunya arthritis suggest an altogether different mechanism of Treg-mediated pathology in both arthritis conditions. Overall, our preliminary study, suggesting an association of peripheral Treg cells and IL-10 with recovery from chikungunya, may provide insight into chikungunya disease prognosis and warrants further study.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Director, National Institute of Virology, Pune, India, for all the encouragement. Special thanks are due to Mr. Prasad Babar, Mr. Vasant Walkoli and Mr. Shirish Vaidya for technical help. The authors would like to thank the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India for providing the funds for the project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hepatitis Group, National Institute of Virology, Pune, 130/1, Sus Road, Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra, 411021, India

    S. P. Kulkarni, P. Jayawant, S. Thanapati & A. S. Tripathy

  2. Sanjeevan Hospital, Latur, Maharashtra, India

    M. Ganu & A. Ganu

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  1. S. P. Kulkarni
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  2. M. Ganu
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  3. P. Jayawant
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  4. S. Thanapati
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  6. A. S. Tripathy
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Correspondence to A. S. Tripathy.

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The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.

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All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Kulkarni, S.P., Ganu, M., Jayawant, P. et al. Regulatory T cells and IL-10 as modulators of chikungunya disease outcome: a preliminary study. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 36, 2475–2481 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-017-3087-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-017-3087-4

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