Uchiyama S, Keller N, Schlaepfer E, Grube C, Schuepbach RA, Speck RF, Zinkernagel AS. Interferon α-Enhanced Clearance of Group A Streptococcus Despite Neutropenia.
J Infect Dis 2016;
214:321-8. [PMID:
27338768 DOI:
10.1093/infdis/jiw157]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Neutrophils and monocytes are crucial for controlling bacterial infections. More-frequent bacterial infections are accordingly encountered in neutropenic patients undergoing chemotherapy. This is not the case for pegylated interferon α (IFN-α)-induced neutropenia. We hypothesized that IFN-α induces a compensatory innate antibacterial state that prevents bacterial infections despite the neutropenia.
METHODS
To investigate whether patients with hepatitis C virus infection treated with IFN-α killed group A Streptococcus (GAS) better than before initiating therapy, whole blood was used to perform ex vivo GAS killing assays before, during, and after IFN-α therapy.
RESULTS
We found that IFN-α therapy enhanced GAS killing in whole blood ex vivo despite the decreased neutrophil and monocyte numbers during IFN-α therapy. IFN-α also boosted neutrophil- and monocyte-mediated GAS killing in vitro. Underlying mechanisms included increased production of the antibacterial properdin, a regulator of the complement activation, as well as reactive oxygen species.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings help to explain the rather discrepant facts of neutropenia but preserved antibacterial immune defenses in patients treated with IFN-α.
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