Effect of interferon on the direction of polarization of the immune response to influenza in children

Abstract

In 1900 children of different ages and 690 adults with laboratory confirmed influenza in different epidemic seasons studied levels of interferons and interleukins 4 and 10 in the serum calculating the ratio of interleukin 4, 10 to interferon gamma. There are three type of immune response to influenza depending on the clinical course. It was shown that in flu with moderate intoxication in 66.3 % of cases in children and 72.0 % of adults marked polarization on Th1 type with increase level in serum and spontaneous interferon gamma in all age groups, in which the ratio of IL-4/IFN-g from 0.8 to 2, while in severe intoxication only 33.5 and 43.9 %, respectively. In children with bronchitis immune response Th2 type and mixed Th1/Th2 type were observed in 54.6 and 33.3 % of cases respectively, and only 12.1 % of Th1 type. With influenza, pneumonia is a complication, in 76 % of cases were determined humoral immune response by Th2 type when the ratio of IL-4/IFN-g and IL-10/ IFN-g is greater than 3, due to the increase of the content of interleukin 4 and 10, while significantly reducing levels of interferon gamma. In 23.7 % of cases observed Th1/Th2 mixed type of immune response with a ratio of 2 to 3. The obtained data allow us to determine the type of immune response to influenza infection and to predict the severity of the disease and the development of complications in children and adults, and also to determine the necessity of including in the therapy drugs of immunocorrection.