[Role of Treg/Th17 balance in the pathogenesis of cytomegalovirus infection].

Aim: To investigate the role of Treg/Th17 balance in the immune-regulated mechanism of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.

Methods: According to the diagnostic criteria of the CMV infection, the patients with CMV infection were divided into the activate infection group and the latent infection group, and the normal children were recruited as control group. The percents of Treg and Th17 in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry to calculate Treg/Th17 ratio. ELISA and RT-PCR were performed to determine the levels of the related factors of Treg (IL-10, Foxp3) and Th17 (TGF-β, IL-17, IL-6, IL-23, ROR-γt), respectively.

Results: Compared with the control group, the proportion of Treg in peripheral blood was reduced, Th17 increased, so Treg/Th17 ratio went down after CMV infection (P<0.05). By comparison between two groups of CMV infection, Treg/Th17 ratio and Treg related factors of the activate infection group decreased significantly (P<0.05), but Th17 related factors were up-regulated significantly (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Treg/Th17 balance takes part in the immune-regulated mechanism of CMV infection, and may be related to virus latent-active state.