State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
Department of Medicine, State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
Pathog Dis. 2023 Jan 17;81. doi: 10.1093/femspd/ftad015.
Chlamydia pneumoniae is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes respiratory infections in humans. An association between persistent C. pneumoniae infection and asthma pathogenesis has been described. It is unknown whether specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) is a marker of persistent immune activation responses. Therefore, the association between C. pneumoniae-specific-IgE antibodies (Abs) and interferon (IFN)-gamma produced by C. pneumoniae-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was examined. Blood was collected and serum separated. PBMC from 63 children with or without stable asthma (N = 45 and 18, respectively) were infected or not infected with C. pneumoniae AR-39 and cultured for up to 7 days. Supernatants were collected, and IFN-gamma levels measured (ELISA). Serum C. pneumoniae-IgE Abs were detected by immunoblotting. C. pneumoniae-IgE Abs were detected in asthmatics (27%), compared with non-asthmatics (11%) (P = NS). IFN-gamma responses were more prevalent among asthmatics who had positive C. pneumoniae-IgE Abs (60%) compared with asthmatics without C. pneumoniae-IgE Abs (20%) (P = 0.1432). IFN-gamma responses in C. pneumoniae-stimulated PBMC from children with asthma were more frequent in children who had specific anti-C. pneumoniae-IgE Abs compared to those who did not. This immune response may reflect persistent infection, which may contribute to ongoing asthma symptoms.
肺炎衣原体是一种专性细胞内细菌，可引起人类呼吸道感染。已经描述了持续的肺炎衣原体感染与哮喘发病机制之间的关联。目前尚不清楚特异性免疫球蛋白 E（IgE）是否是持续免疫激活反应的标志物。因此，研究了肺炎衣原体特异性 IgE 抗体（Abs）与肺炎衣原体刺激的外周血单个核细胞（PBMC）产生的干扰素（IFN）-γ之间的关系。采集血液并分离血清。分别采集 63 例稳定期哮喘患儿（N=45）和非哮喘患儿（N=18）的 PBMC，用肺炎衣原体 AR-39 感染或不感染，培养至 7 天。收集上清液，用 ELISA 法检测 IFN-γ水平。用免疫印迹法检测血清肺炎衣原体-IgE Abs。哮喘患儿（27%）中检测到肺炎衣原体-IgE Abs，而非哮喘患儿（11%）中检测到肺炎衣原体-IgE Abs（P=NS）。与无肺炎衣原体-IgE Abs 的哮喘患儿（20%）相比，有肺炎衣原体-IgE Abs 的哮喘患儿（60%） IFN-γ 反应更为常见（P=0.1432）。与无肺炎衣原体特异性 IgE Abs 的患儿相比，在有肺炎衣原体特异性 IgE Abs 的哮喘患儿的肺炎衣原体刺激的 PBMC 中，IFN-γ 反应更为频繁。这种免疫反应可能反映了持续感染，这可能导致持续的哮喘症状。
