MECHANISMS OF IMMUNOSUPPRESSION UPON FREQUENT ACUTE VIRAL RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS IN INFANTS AFTER NEONATAL CYTOMEGALOVIRUS INFECTION
Study objectives: To assess differential peripheral blood lymphocyte counts in infants three months of age who passed neonatal CMV infection. To examine the usability of the results for predicting frequent acute viral respiratory infections (AVRI) in the first year of life. Materials and methods: The study group included 69 infants of whom 54 passed severe neonatal CMV infection, and 15 were healthy according to conventional criteria. Among the 54 children, 30 suffered from frequent AVRI and 24 had no AVRI during the first year of life. CD markers were determined using flow cytofluorometry with a Beckman Coulter Epics XL II instrument. The following antibodies, which were purchased from Immunotest (France), were used: CD3, CD28, CD20, and CD40. Results: In all children after CMV infections in comparison with those who had no CMV infection,CD20+ and CD20+CD40+cell counts were increased.