Aberrant Peripheral Immune Function in a Good Syndrome Patient

Abstract

Good’s syndrome (GS) is often accompanied by recurrent respiratory infections and chronic diarrhea. The main purpose was to evaluate the peripheral immune status of a GS patient after thymoma resection. Twenty healthy volunteers were recruited as healthy controls (HCs). Flow cytometry was applied to determine the proportions of circuiting CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells, γδ T cells, and regulatory T (Treg) cells in our GS patient. We also examined the proliferation capability of ex vivo CD4 + T cells and detected the levels of cytokines interferon- (IFN-) γ and interleukin-17A secreted by ex vivo immune cells from this GS patient. Compared with healthy control subjects, this GS patient had fewer B cells, an inverted ratio of CD4 + /CD8 + cells, and more Treg cells in his peripheral blood. Additionally, the patient’s V δ 2 T cell levels were significantly decreased despite having a normal percentage of γδ T cells. Ex vivo peripheral CD4 + T cells from the patient showed insufficient proliferation and division potential as well as excessive expression of PD-1. Moreover, IFN- γ was predominantly derived from CD8 + T cells in this GS patient, rather than from CD4 + T cells and γδ T cells. This GS patient had impaired T and B cell immunological alternations and cytokine disruptions after thymectomy. Detailed research should focus on therapies that can adjust the immune status in such patients for a better outcome.