Soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sCD25) and interleukin-10 plasma concentrations are associated with severity of primary respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.

The role of the immune response in the severity of RSV infection was examined by determining plasma concentrations of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-10 (IL-10), interleukin-2 receptor (sCD25) and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor II (sTNFR-II) in 196, previously healthy infants, during acute and convalescence phases of primary RSV infection. The results were analyzed separately for days 1-4 (early) and days 5-7 (late) of symptoms before sample collection and according to disease severity (105 hypoxic, 91 non-hypoxic). Significant associations between plasma levels and severity were found in early samples only. IL-10 and sCD25 concentrations were higher (p=0.01, each) in hypoxic compared with non-hypoxic infants, whereas no differences were observed in IFN-gamma and sTNFR-II levels between the groups. Early sCD25 levels correlated positively with IL-10 concentrations (p= 0.0003; r= 0,401). Amongst the hypoxic infants, the number of days of oxygen supplementation correlated positively with early IL-10 levels (p=0.009; r=0.495) and negatively with the IFN-gamma/IL-10 ratio (p=0.007; r=0.495). IFN-gamma levels were significantly higher in the acute phase than during convalescence for hypoxic and non-hypoxic infants, while IL-10 levels were significantly higher in the acute phase only in hypoxic infants for days 1-4 (early; p=0.0007). sCD25 concentrations were elevated only in hypoxic infants at days 1-4 of the acute phase (p=0.002), whereas sTNFR-II levels did not vary between acute and convalescence phases, independent of severity and time point of sampling. We found no association between plasma levels during the convalescence phase and the severity of the RSV infection.