Analysis of CD3, CD68, CD163 and CK-19 expression in the thymuses of neonates with infectious diseases

Objective: to identify the expression patterns of immunohistochemical markers, CD3, CD68, CD163 and CK-19, in thymus cells of neonates with an enlarged thymus who died from infectious diseases. Materials and Methods. The study material was autopsy material of infants of the early and late neonatal periods (n=33) who died in medical hospitals of Saratov. The causes of death were pneumonia (n=17) and sepsis (n=16). The morphological material was divided into two groups: Group 1 (comparison group) included children whose thymus gland weight corresponded to the age norm (n=19); Group 2 (study group) comprised children whose thymus weight exceeded the age norm (n=14). The study assessed the expression of the following markers: CD3, CD68, CD163 and CK-19. Results. We established that with an increase in the thymus mass, the proportion of CD3+ cells in its cortex exhibited a 2.7-fold increase (p=0.009), the proportion of CD68+ cells demonstrated almost threefold increase (p=0.009), whereas the share of CD163+ cells diminished by 10% (p=0.005) and CK-19 positive cells did not form a network. Conclusion. An increase in the thymus mass in infants of the early neonatal period with infectious diseases is accompanied by disruption in the processes of lymphocyte migration and differentiation.