Study of surface activation markers on CD3 − CD16 + NK cells and their correlation with clinical manifestations in children with infectious mononucleosis

This study aimed to investigate the proportion of surface activation markers on natural killer (NK) cells in children with infectious mononucleosis (IM) and to explore its clinical relevance. A total of 17 children hospitalized with IM were included in this study as the experimental group. Meanwhile, healthy children matched for age and gender served as controls. First, we isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from children with IM and healthy children. Then, NK cell surface markers were stained with monoclonal antibodies and analyzed by flow cytometry. The results showed that the percentage of CD3- CD16+ NK cells was higher in peripheral blood lymphocytes from children with IM than that from healthy children (t = -4.52, P