The predictive role of early activation of natural killer cells in septic shock

Recently, several studies about the role of natural killer (NK) cells in sepsis have been highlighted. In an earlier study, we characterized the abnormalities of circulating lymphocytes in 52 patients with septic shock during the first 28 days in the intensive care unit. Our results confirm and expand some previous reports. We found that patients who did not survive exhibited less NK cell (CD3(−)CD56(+)) depletion than survivors and that these NK cells expressed CD69(+ )and CD57(+). These data demonstrate that NK cells are key participants in septic shock because patients who survived have more depletion and expressed less early activation and differentiation.