Decreased T‐cell response against latent cytomegalovirus infection does not correlate with anti‐IFN autoantibodies in patients with APECED

• DOI: 10.1111/apm.13458
• Publication Date: 2024-08-08T06:21:26Z
• Authors: Iivo Hetemäki; Nelli Heikkilä; Pärt Peterson; Eliisa Kekäläinen; Nick Willcox; Wolff Anette S. B.; Hanna Jarva; T Petteri Arstila
• Keywords: Cytomegalovirus; Betaherpesvirinae

Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) is an inborn error of immunity affecting both multiple endocrine organs and susceptibility to candidiasis, each with autoimmune basis. Recently, high titer neutralizing anti-type I interferon (IFN) autoantibodies have been linked increased severity SARS-CoV-2 varicella zoster virus infections in APECED patients. Examining against cytomegalovirus (CMV), we found a higher prevalence anti-CMV IgG antibodies patients (N = 19) than 44 healthy controls (90% vs 64%, p 0.04); the similar difference their levels did not achieve significance (95 ± 74 64 35 IU/mL, ns.). In contrast, frequency CMV-specific T cells was lower (804 718/million 1591 972/million PBMC 0.03). We saw no correlations between anti-IFN or separate cohort thymoma (n 70), over 60% whom also had antibodies. Our results suggest dysregulated response CMV highlight immunodeficiency viral as part disease spectrum.