from the article:
"The big news from the Cliff study is the
increased frequency of the CD8+ mucosal associated invariant T cells or MAIT cells. The UK authors noted that an increased frequency of MAIT T-cells has not been published before, which is true, but Derya Unutmaz, leader of the NIH ME/CFS Research Center at the Jackson Labs, has been talking about them in ME/CFS for several years."
"MAIT cells are known for the role they play protecting the lining of the gut against toxic bacteria. Their name – mucosal invariant T-cells – derives from the high levels of these cells gathered around the mucosal surfaces of the gut (e.g. the lining). In effect they are the
gut’s innate immune cells – sentinels guarding the gut wall which can, in contrast to other T-cells, react immediately to invaders."
"They’re different from other T-cells which get activated after being triggered by an antigen from a pathogen. Instead, they’re activated by fats and vitamin B2 metabolites produced by plants,
bacteria (E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, L. acidophilus, S. aureus, and S. epidermidis, C. albicans, C. glabrata, and S. cerevisiae ) and fungi. Because cytokines produced by viral infections can activate them as well, the high degree of MAIT cell activation is not necessarily due to bacteria in the gut – but it’s the most likely scenario."
"In contrast to Unutmaz’s apparent (but unpublished) findings of high levels of MAIT cells in ME/CFS overall, this study found a high proportion of MAIT cells only in the severely ill ME/CFS patients. They noted that a small number of the severely ill patients were reported to have “exceedingly high” frequencies of these cells."
"Interestingly, the Cliff study authors pointed out that peripheral MAIT cell levels in healthy volunteers can increase 2-fold following exercise. Finding similarly high levels of MAIT cells in the severely ill patients suggested they were in a similar post-exercise state without having engaged in any exercise."
