Meningococcal sepsis remains an important cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Largely due to logistic complexities of research in young children with acute life-threatening disease, very little is known regarding differential expression kinetics and molecular regulation of immune response genes in leukocyte subsets.

In this prospective case-control study, six children with meningococcal sepsis were included. Blood was drawn at four time points (t=0, t=8, t=24 and t=72 h after admission to the paediatric intensive care unit). Blood was also collected from matched controls. Detailed immunophenotyping of leukocytes was performed; RNA isolated from whole blood, lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes was used to perform Affymetrix micro-array gene expression analysis.No replicates were performed.Table 4. Results of between-subject analyses.Source Time (h) ca co/ca at t=TBlood t0: ca:2 3, co: a b c; t8: 2; t24 :ca:1 2 3; t72: ca:1 2.Lym t0: ca:2 3, co:a b c d;t8: ca:1 3 4;t24: ca:1 2 3 4 6; t72: ca: 1 2.Mono t0:ca: 1 3 4 6, co: a b d; t8: ca:1 2 3; t24:ca: 1 2 3; t72: ca:1.Numbers represent the patient identification numbers.Characters represent the individual controls.

In this prospective case-control study, six children with meningococcal sepsis were included. Blood was drawn at four time points (t=0, t=8, t=24 and t=72 h after admission to the paediatric intensive care unit). Blood was also collected from matched controls. Detailed immunophenotyping of leukocytes was performed; RNA isolated from whole blood, lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes was used to perform Affymetrix micro-array gene expression analysis.