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Frequent Malaria Drives Progressive V delta 2 T-Cell Loss, Dysfunction, and CD16 Up-regulation During Early Childhood JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES Farrington, L. A., Jagannathan, P., McIntyre, T. I., Vance, H. M., Bowen, K., Boyle, M. J., Nankya, F., Wamala, S., Auma, A., Nalubega, M., Sikyomu, E., Naluwu, K., Bigira, V., Kapisi, J., Dorsey, G., Kamya, M. R., Feeney, M. E. 2016; 213 (9): 1483-1490

Abstract

?d T cells expressing Vd2 may be instrumental in the control of malaria, because they inhibit the replication of blood-stage parasites in vitro and expand during acute malaria infection. However, Vd2 T-cell frequencies and function are lower among children with heavy prior malaria exposure. It remains unclear whether malaria itself is driving this loss. Here we measure Vd2 T-cell frequency, cytokine production, and degranulation longitudinally in Ugandan children enrolled in a malaria chemoprevention trial from 6 to 36 months of age. We observed a progressive attenuation of the Vd2 response only among children incurring high rates of malaria. Unresponsive Vd2 T cells were marked by expression of CD16, which was elevated in the setting of high malaria transmission. Moreover, chemoprevention during early childhood prevented the development of dysfunctional Vd2 T cells. These observations provide insight into the role of Vd2 T cells in the immune response to chronic malaria.

View details for DOI 10.1093/infdis/jiv600

View details for Web of Science ID 000376295800018

View details for PubMedID 26667315

View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4813738