{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,17]],"date-time":"2026-09-17T06:03:52Z","timestamp":1789625032729,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,17]],"date-time":"2026-09-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789603200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Septic shock induced by Gram-negative bacilli can lead to severe immune dysfunction. The dysfunction and reprogramming of memory T cells are closely involved in the immunosuppressive state of septic shock. This study aimed to investigate the dynamic changes of memory T cells in such patients and their association with clinical outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n This study is a prospective clinical research. Thirty-five patients with Gram-negative septic shock were enrolled and classified into survival and non-survival groups. Peripheral blood samples were obtained on admission, day 2 and day 7 after admission, and patients were stratified into survival and death groups based on 28-day survival status. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze the proportions of lymphocyte subsets as well as CD4\n +<\/jats:sup>\n and CD8\n +<\/jats:sup>\n memory T cell subsets, including naive, effector, central memory, and effector memory T cells. Intracellular cytokine staining was used to evaluate their functional capacity to IL-2, TNF-\u03b1, and IFN-\u03b3.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Compared with survivors, non-survivors showed significantly reduced counts of CD8\n +<\/jats:sup>\n T cells, B cells, and NK cells. In memory T-cell subset analysis, non-survivors exhibited a significantly higher proportion of CD8\n +<\/jats:sup>\n T\n CM<\/jats:sub>\n cells at admission and a markedly lower proportion of CD8\n +<\/jats:sup>\n T\n EM<\/jats:sub>\n cells on day 7. Functionally, CD8\n +<\/jats:sup>\n T\n CM<\/jats:sub>\n cells from non-survivors showed enhanced IL-2 production, while CD8\n +<\/jats:sup>\n T\n EM<\/jats:sub>\n cells displayed diminished TNF-\u03b1 and IFN-\u03b3 production on day 7. Further analysis revealed that the proportion and activation status of CD8\n +<\/jats:sup>\n T\n CM<\/jats:sub>\n cells at admission had good predictive value for 28-day mortality.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n \n Patients with Gram-negative septic shock exhibited early elevation in the proportion and activity of CD8\n +<\/jats:sup>\n T\n CM<\/jats:sub>\n cells, and a decrease in the number and functional impairment of CD8\n +<\/jats:sup>\n T\n EM<\/jats:sub>\n cells in later stages. The dynamic changes in CD8\n +<\/jats:sup>\n memory T-cell subsets are associated with clinical outcomes, showing preliminary potential as candidate immune indicators for prognosis assessment, which needs further validation in larger cohorts.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2026.1923966","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,17]],"date-time":"2026-09-17T05:33:31Z","timestamp":1789623211000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Immunological dynamics of memory T cells in gram-negative septic shock patients: a prospective clinical study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Shuhang","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Tianjin Medical University General Hospital","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Li","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tianjin 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