A Study of Immune Functionality of Newly Diagnosed Severe Aplastic Anemia Patients with Virus Infection.

Background: Previous research showed that virus infection is correlated with the occurrence, development, and prognosis of AA. This study was designed to explore the influence of virus infection on the immune functionality and immunosuppressive therapy (IST) efficiency of newly diagnosed SAA patients. Methods: Fifty-six newly diagnosed SAA patients combined with virus infection treated in the Hematology Department of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital from October 2004 to July 2014 were studied. Various immune parameters were tested and compared for SAA patients with and without virus infection. Results: When compared with SAA patients without corresponding virus infection, SAA patients with CMV-IgM, PVB19-IgM, and EBV infection had increased CD8(+)T cell percentage, decreased CD4(+)/CD8(+) T cell ratios, and increased CD8(+)HLA-DR+/CD8(+) percentage. The absolute value of CD8(+)T cell of CMV-IgM group had increased as well. The CMV-IgM and PVB19-IgM groups showed decreased CD4(+)T cell percentage, and decreased CD4(+) HLA-DR(+/)CD8(+) HLA-DR+ ratio. The PVB19-IgM group exhibited decreased CD4(+) HLA-DR+/CD4(+) percentage, increased Th1 percentage and increased pDC percentage. Patients with EB virus infection showed lower NK cell percentage. Three years after IST, the treatment is significantly less effective for the SAA patients combined with virus infection than those without. Conclusions: CMV, PVB19, and EBV infection worsen the immune functionality abnormality of newly diagnosed SAA patients and reduce the IST efficiency.