[Correlation between the numbers of peripheral blood dendritic cells and the clinical manifestations in children with respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis].

OBJECTIVE

To detect the quantity of peripheral blood myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in children with bronchiolitis infected by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and analyze the correlation with the severity of the disease.

METHODS

PCR was used to detect RSV in nasopharyngeal secretions. Flow cytometry was performed on the peripheral blood to detect the quantity of mDCs and pDCs in 71 children with bronchiolitis by RSV infection (including mild, moderate and severe infection) and 48 healthy control infants.

RESULTS

The quantity of peripheral blood mDCs in the children with bronchiolitis by RSV infection was significantly higher than that of healthy controls (P<0.01), while the number of pDCs was significantly lower than that of healthy controls (P<0.01). The children with severe bronchiolitis by RSV infection had significantly lower quantity of peripheral blood mDCs and pDCs as compared with the mild group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The number of mDCs in peripheral blood of the children with RSV bronchiolitis significantly increased at the early stage, and in contrast pDCs were reduced. The increased number of mDCs indicates that the clinical manifestations are slighter, and the decreased number of pDCs suggests more wheezing of the children.