Identifying immune signatures of sepsis to increase diagnostic accuracy in very preterm babies.
Nat Commun
; 15(1): 388, 2024 Jan 09.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38195661
ABSTRACT
Bacterial 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.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Health context:
2_ODS3
/
4_TD
/
7_ODS3_muertes_prevenibles_nacidos_ninos
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
C-Reactive Protein
/
Sepsis
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Humans
/
Infant
/
Newborn
Language:
En
Journal:
Nat Commun
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article