Background and Aims: Epstein–Barr virus is primarily the cause of acute infectious mononucleosis and can also cause lymphoma and autoimmune diseases. Th17 cells, which are a unique subset of ThCD4+ cells, direct the infection toward inflammation through production of inflammatory cytokine IL-17. In contrast, Treg Foxp3 cells inhibit inflammation through secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, leading to chronic infection.
Materials and Methods: As IL-17 and IL-10 play a key role in determining the acute and chronic state of the disease, in this study, by evaluating the levels of IL-17 and IL-10 and their ratio using qRT-PCR in 10 patients with acute infectious mononucleosis and 10 healthy individuals as negative control, we investigated the correlation between production of these immune factors and the disease. After collecting 5 ml blood samples from patients and healthy individuals, PBMC culture, RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, qRT-PCR, and statistical analysis were performed.
Results and Conclusions: The results showed a significant increase in the level of IL-17 and a significant decrease in the level of IL-10 in the patients compared to healthy subjects and consequently an increased IL-17 to IL-10 ratio. Therefore, future treatment strategies might be established which are capable of preventing reactivation of the virus and development of tumors and autoimmune diseases.