Acute febrile illnesses in children can be secondary to infections or non-infection related inflammatory diseases. Such illness can be life-threatening to children. In this manuscript, we studied immune function at the level of single cells in children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome of childhood (MIS-C) associated with SARS-CoV-2, severe bacterial infection, severe viral infection and Kawasaki disease (a severe inflammatory disease in children) over the time course of their illness. We noted that dysfunctional neutrophils and dysfunctional T cells were associated with MIS-C and bacterial infection despite their distinct cause of acute febrile illness. We also report several shared and unique molecular mechanisms that informs potential targets or treatments for dysfunctional immunity across acute febrile illnesses in children.
Manu Shankar-Hari (senior author)
Patel, H., Carter, M.J., Jackson, H. et al. Shared neutrophil and T cell dysfunction is accompanied by a distinct interferon signature during severe febrile illnesses in children. Nat Commun 15, 8224 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52246-0
