Peripheral immune phenotypes and T cell receptor repertoire in pneumocystis pneumonia in HIV-1 infected patients.

BACKGROUND

The host immune response to pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) involves interactions among immune cell subsets and cytokines. However, the definite pathogenesis and immunological influences of P. jirovecii have not been fully elucidated.

METHODS

Mass cytometry and high-throughput sequencing of the T cell receptor (TCR) were used to profile the host immune response to human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) and P. jirovecii infection.

RESULTS

Our findings demonstrated that patients with PCP showed different immune cell proportions when compared to healthy controls. Changes in cytokines were found after anti-PCP treatment, suggested that cytokines may play an important role in controlling the pathogen. Furthermore, PCP patients showed marked reduction of TCR repertoire diversity. The diversity of TCR repertoire was restored by the anti-PCP treatment.

CONCLUSION

In summary, we profiled the composition and characteristics of immune environment in response to HIV-1 and P. jirovecii infection, which may contribute to elucidating host immunity.