Decreased Frequencies of Th17 and Tc17 Cells in Patients Infected with Avian Influenza A (H7N9) Virus

Figure 1

Changes in Th17 cells, Tc17 cells, and IL-17A levels among PBMCs from H7N9 patients in the acute and recovery phases. (a) Isolated PBMCs were gated initially for lymphocytes, and CD4⁺IL-17A⁺ (Th17) and CD8⁺IL-17A⁺ (Tc17) cells were then analyzed. (b, c) The different frequencies of Th17 (b) and Tc17 (c) cells in the acute and recovery phases in different H7N9 patients (). (d, e) Comparison of the proportions of Th17 (d) and Tc17 (e) cells obtained from HC and H1N1(2009) and H7N9 patients in the acute and recovery phases (, respectively). (f) Serum levels of IL-17A in HC and H1N1(2009) and H7N9 patients (, respectively). (g) The fold change in IL-17A mRNA levels in H1N1(2009) and H7N9 patients compared with HC (, respectively). (h, i) Correlation analysis of serum IL-17A levels and Th17 cells (h) and Tc17 cells (i) in H7N9 acute-phase patients. (j, k) Correlation analysis of serum IL-17A levels and Th17 cells (j) and Tc17 cells (k) in H7N9 recovery-phase patients. , , and . HC: healthy controls.

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