Association of γδ T Cells with Disease Severity and Mortality in Septic Patients

ABSTRACTGamma-delta T cells are the most abundant of all epithelial-resident lymphocytes and are considered a first line of defense against pathogens in the mucosa. Our objective was to confirm the reduction in γδ T cell subsets and its relationship with mortality in patients with sepsis. We studied 135 patients with sepsis attended in the emergency department and intensive care unit of two hospitals and compared them with a similar control group of healthy subjects. The αβ and γδ T cell subsets were determined via flow cytometry according to the stage of the sepsis and its relationship with mortality. All the lymphocyte subsets were reduced with respect to the corresponding subsets in the …