Decline of FoxP3+ Regulatory CD4 T Cells in Peripheral Blood of Children Heavily Exposed to Malaria.

ABSTRACT: FoxP3+ regulatory CD4 T cells (Tregs) help to maintain the delicate balance between pathogen-specific immunity and immune-mediated pathology. Prior studies suggest that Tregs are induced by P. falciparum both in vivo and in vitro; however, the factors influencing Treg homeostasis during acute and chronic infections, and their role in malaria immunopathogenesis, remain unclear. We assessed the frequency and phenotype of Tregs in well-characterized cohorts of children residing in a region of high malaria endemicity in Uganda. We found that both the frequency and absolute numbers of FoxP3+ Tregs in peripheral blood declined markedly with increasing prior malaria incidence. Longitudinal measurements confirmed that this decline occurred only among highly malaria-exposed children. The decline of

SUBMITTER: Boyle MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4504515 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature