Abstract
AbstractBacterial infections are a major cause of mortality in preterm babies, yet our understanding of early-life disease-associated immune dysregulation remains limited. Here, we combine multi-parameter flow cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing and plasma analysis to longitudinally profile blood from very preterm babies (<32 weeks gestation) across episodes of invasive bacterial infection (sepsis). We identify a dynamically changing blood immune signature of sepsis, including lymphopenia, reduced dendritic cell frequencies and myeloid cell HLA-DR expression, which characterizes sepsis even when the common clinical marker of inflammation, C-reactive protein, is not elevated. Furthermore, single-cell RNA sequencing identifies upregulation of amphiregulin in leukocyte populations during sepsis, which we validate as a plasma analyte that correlates with clinical signs of disease, even when C-reactive protein is normal. This study provides insights into immune pathways associated with early-life sepsis and identifies immune analytes as potential diagnostic adjuncts to standard tests to guide targeted antibiotic prescribing.
Funder
Academy of Medical Sciences
Action Medical Research
Cancer Research UK
RCUK | Medical Research Council
Strategic research grant: Bart’s Charity
Department of Education and Training | Australian Research Council
Rebecca L. Cooper Medical Research Foundation
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
General Physics and Astronomy,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Chemistry,Multidisciplinary
Cited by
1 articles.
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