Immunological mechanism of wheezing attack in children with cytomegalovirus infection

OBJECTIVE: To study the possible immunological mechanism of wheezing attack in children with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. METHODS: A total of 25 under-5-year-old children with wheezing following CMV infection were enrolled. The expression of serum regulatory T cells (Treg)/T helper 17 (Th17) cytokines interleukin (IL)-10, IL-6, and IL-17, and peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were determined. Twenty age-matched healthy children were selected as the control group. RESULTS: The wheezing group had a significantly reduced serum IL-10 level, significantly increased IL-6 and IL-17 levels, significantly reduced levels of natural killer cells, and significantly increased levels of CD8+ T cells and CD19+ B cells, as compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Wheezing children with CMV infection have Treg/Th17 imbalance and cellular immune dysfunction, which may be an important immunological mechanism of the development of wheezing in children after CMV infection.