Persistently altered T cell immunity in high school students with the congenital rubella syndrome and profound hearing loss.

Because there are frequent progressive and autoimmune complications in children born with the congenital rubella syndrome, we evaluated immunoregulation in eight profoundly deaf adolescents with congenital rubella syndrome who lived in a state school. Serum antiviral antibodies, expressions of peripheral lymphocyte epitopes and serum soluble interleukin 2 receptor (IL-2R) content were compared with those of 16 classmates with profound hearing loss of unknown cause and of 24 age-matched, hearing students from this area. Both deaf groups showed activated but impaired T lymphocyte function compared with normals. Rubella virus alteration of T cell function was suggested in congenital rubella syndrome students by elevated numbers of both CD4+ helper and CD25+ IL-2R cells with unusually low released soluble IL-2R content. In contrast in deaf classmates elevated CD25+ and CD16+ natural killer cell groups and soluble IL-2R content with low numbers of CD4+ helper cells and CD4+ populations were of unknown etiology. Defective immunoregulation of the congenitally deaf to pathogens inherent in their environment may lead to autoimmune and other complications.