Firestormm
Senior Member
- Messages
- 5,055
- Location
- Cornwall England
7 February 2014
Analysis of the Relationship between Immune Dysfunction and Symptom Severity in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME)
Sharni Lee Hardcastle1 *, EkuaWeba Brenu 1 , Samantha Johnston 1 , Thao Nguyen 1 , Teilah Huth 1 , Manprit Kaur 1
, Sandra Ramos 1 , Ali Salajegheh 1 , Don Staines 1,2 and Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik 1
1 National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases, Griffith Health Centre, School of Medical Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
2 Queensland Health, Gold Coast Public Health Unit, Robina, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Abstract
Objective:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is a disabling illness, characterised by persistent, debilitating fatigue and a multitude of symptoms.
Immunological alterations are prominent in CFS/ME cases, however little is known about the relationship between CFS/ME severity and the extent of immunological dysfunction.
The purpose of this study was to assess innate and adaptive immune cell phenotypes and function of two groups of CFS/ME patients, bedridden (severe) and mobile (moderate).
Methods:
CFS/ME participants were defined using the Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (1994 CDC) Criteria for CFS/ME.
Participants were grouped into healthy controls (n=22, age=40.14 ± 2.38), moderate/mobile (n=23; age=42.52 ± 2.63) and severe/bedridden (n=18; age=39.56 ± 1.51) CFS/ME patients.
Flow cytometric protocols were used to examine neutrophil, monocyte, dendritic cells (DCs), iNKT, Treg, B, γ δ and CD8+ T cell phenotypes, NK cytotoxic activity and receptors.
Results:
The present data found that CFS/ME patients demonstrated significant decreases in NK cytotoxic activity, transitional and regulatory B cells, γδ1T cells, KIR2DL1/DS1, CD94+ and KIR2DL2/L3.
Significant increases in CD56-CD16+ NKs, CD56 dim CD16- and CD56 bright CD16 -/dim NKs, DCs, iNKT phenotypes, memory and naive B cells were also shown in CFS/ME participants.
Severe CFS/ME patients demonstrated increased CD14-CD16+ DCs,memory and naïve B cells, total iNKT, iNKT cell and NK phenotypes compared to moderate CFS/ME patients.
Conclusion:
This study is the first to determine alterations in NK, iNKT, B, DC and γ δ T cell phenotypes in both moderate and severe CFS/ME patients.
Immunological alterations are present in innate and adaptive immune cells and sometimes, immune deregulation appears worse in CFS/ME patients with more severe symptoms.
It may be appropriate for CFS/ME patient severity subgroups to be distinguished in both clinical and research settings to extricate further immunological pathologies that may not have been previously reported.
PDF: http://www.omicsonline.org/open-acc...ts-with-chronic-fatigue-2155-9899.1000190.pdf
Last edited: