Unique cellular immune signatures of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children

• Published in: PLoS pathogens Vol. 18; no. 11; p. e1010915
• Main Authors: Anuradha Rajamanickam, Pavan Kumar Nathella, Aishwarya Venkataraman, Poovazhagi Varadarjan, Srinithi Kannan, Arul Nancy Pandiarajan, Rachel Mariam Renji, Elayarani Elavarasan, Akshith Thimmaiah, Kandasamy Sasidaran, Nedunchelian Krishnamoorthy, Suresh Natarajan, Ganesh Ramaswamy, Balasubramanian Sundaram, Sulochana Putlibai, Syed Hissar, Elilarasi Selladurai, K Ranganathan Uma Devi, Thomas B Nutman, Subash Babu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 01.11.2022
• ISSN: 1553-7366; 1553-7374
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010915

The clinical presentation of MIS-C overlaps with other infectious/non-infectious diseases such as acute COVID-19, Kawasaki disease, acute dengue, enteric fever, and systemic lupus erythematosus. We examined the ex-vivo cellular parameters with the aim of distinguishing MIS-C from other syndromes with overlapping clinical presentations. MIS-C children differed from children with non-MIS-C conditions by having increased numbers of naïve CD8+ T cells, naïve, immature and atypical memory B cells and diminished numbers of transitional memory, stem cell memory, central and effector memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, classical, activated memory B and plasma cells and monocyte (intermediate and non-classical) and dendritic cell (plasmacytoid and myeloid) subsets. All of the above alterations were significantly reversed at 6-9 months post-recovery in MIS-C. Thus, MIS-C is characterized by a distinct cellular signature that distinguishes it from other syndromes with overlapping clinical presentations. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov clinicaltrial.gov. No: NCT04844242.