Short report: TH2 immune response in patients with dengue during defervescence: Preliminary evidence

Abstract

A shift from a TH1 to a TH2 immune response has been observed in vitro during dengue virus infection. Estimation of plasma IgE level (n = 28), CD4:CD8 lymphocyte ratio, and the intracellular interferon-γ (IFN-γ):interleukin-4 (IL-4) ratio (n = 9) was conducted in patients with various severities of dengue around the time of defervescence. The CD4:CD8 lymphocyte ratio was significantly lower (median = 0.45, interquartile range [IQR] = 0.4-0.47 versus 1.3,1.0-1.9; P = 0.001), and IgE levels were significantly higher (mean = 300.4, SD = 252.5 versus 143.7, 117.9 IU/mL; P = 0.004) in patients than in healthy controls. The intracellular IFN-γ:IL-4 ratio was significantly lower in patients compared with controls (0.28, 0.13 versus 0.99, 0.4; P = 0.001). These findings suggest that a TH2 immune response occurs in patients with dengue around the time of defervescence. Copyright © 2005 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.