在麻疹急性期時共有26名住病患接受體液性及細胞性免疫學檢查,其中15名在2~4周後再追蹤檢查,其結果如下:(1)延遲性皮膚過敏反應包括結核、素混合微菌、植物分裂原及鏈球酶在急性期都明顯降低,且到2~4過後仍未恢復。(2)在急性期淋巴球總數,活躍性T細胞幫助性T細胞比率減少壓制性/毒段性T細胞OKIal(上標 +)細胞及自然殺細胞則增加,這些現象可持續到2~4後。(3)淋巴球對分裂素的反應亦明顯地壓抑細胞性免疫,而造成急性感染期及感染之後容易得到繼發性感染。
Cell-mediated and humoral immunities were studied in 26 cases during the acute stage of measles and 15 were available for follow-up 2 to 4 weeks later. The results showed that 1) delayed-type hypersensitivity skin tests including PPD (1 TU), mixed fungi/candida (1:10), phytohemagglutinin (PHA, 10ag) and streptokinase/streptodornase (50 U) were markedly suppressed during the acute stage and did not recover even 2-4 weeks later; 2) mitogenic responses to PHA, concanavalin A (Con A) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) were markedly decreased during the acute stage and remained nearly the same throughout the course of study; 3) the absolute lymphocyte count and the percentages of active T cells, total T cells, OKT3(superscript +) cells and OKT4(superscript +) helper T cells were decreased, the OKT8(superscript +) suppressor/cytotoxic T cells, OKIal(superscript +) cells (sum of B cells and activated T cells) and natural killer cells (Leu 7(superscript +) and Leu 11(superscript +) cells) were increased during the acute stage and these changes still persisted on 2-4 weeks follow-up; and 4) the serum 1gM concentration increased during the course of study, but no significant change was found in IgG and IgA. Thus measles virus can cause profound depression in cell-mediated immunity which may explain the increased incidence of infections during and after measles.