Burn-associated Candida albicans infection caused by CD30⁺ type 2 T cells

Burn injury is associated with the greatly increased susceptibility of thermally injured patients to infection from a variety of pathogens. In this study we investigated the role of burn-associated type 2 T cells on the increased susceptibility of burned patients to Candida albicans infection using SCID mice and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from thermally injured patients. When SCID mice that were inoculated with PBL from healthy donors were resistant to C. albicans infection, the SCID mice that were inoculated with PBL from burned patients did not show any resistance to the infection. All SCID mice exposed to the pathogen, however, survived after inoculation with patient PBL that were previously depleted of CD30⁺ cells. The predominance of type 2 T cell responses was demonstrated in PBLs of thermally injured patients. As burn-associated type 2 T cells, CD3⁺ CD8⁺ CD30⁺ IL-4 and IL-10-producing cells were demonstrated in burned patient PBL. These results suggest that burn-associated CD30⁺ type 2 T cells may play a role on the increased susceptibility of burned patients to C. albicans infection.