Transient expansion of peripheral Lambda-expressing plasma cells represents a distinctive phenotype associated with SFTSV infection.

OBJECTIVE

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease with a high fatality rate. The mechanism of SFTS is widely recognized to be closely associated with dysregulated host immune responses. However, comprehensive assessments of peripheral immune patterns in SFTS remains limited. This study aimed to characterize the profiles of peripheral immune responses and identify unique immune subsets involved in the pathogenesis of SFTS.

METHODS

Twenty-four patients diagnosed with SFTS were enrolled in this study. Flow cytometric analysis was employed to determine the percentages, absolute counts, and immunophenotypes of immune cells. An external validation cohort of eighteen patients was used to validate the Lambda-expressing plasma cells expansion in SFTS.

RESULTS

Patients with SFTS exhibited markedly increased activation and exhaustion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells compared to healthy controls. This was accompanied by a significant expansion of T peripheral helper cells and plasmablasts. Additionally, an enrichment of plasma cells expressing the Lambda light chain was observed in SFTS patients. These Lambda-expressing plasma cells displayed a normal immunophenotype, were transiently present in peripheral blood, and disappeared upon recovery from SFTS virus (SFTSV) infection, distinguishing them from the malignantly expanded plasma cells typically reported in multiple myeloma. Furthermore, the frequency of Lambda-expressing plasma cells was correlated with the clinical severity and outcomes in SFTS patients in the discovery and validation cohorts, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first to identify an expansion of peripheral transient Lambda-expressing plasma cells in SFTS cases, representing a distinctive immunological hallmark of SFTSV infection. These findings provide valuable insights into the pathogenesis of SFTS and may facilitate the development of improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for patients with SFTS.