FIG 5.

Relationship between H7N9-specific T cell responses and disease variables and severity. (A and B) Percentages of H7N9 virus-specific IFN-γ-secreting CD8⁺ or CD4⁺ T cells at T1, T2, and T3 in subjects requiring ventilation or not during H7N9 infection. (C and D) Frequencies of virus-specific T cells and sampling times for the patients requiring ventilation or not; points from the same patients are connected. In the ventilation group, four patients provided samples at T3, 3 at T1 and T2, and 3 at T2 and T3; in the patients not requiring ventilation, one provided samples at T1, 1 at T2, 4 at T3, 5 at T1 and T2, 5 at T2 and T3, and 2 at T1, T2, and T3 (A to D). (E and F) Percentages of H7N9 virus-specific IFN-γ-secreting CD8⁺ or CD4⁺ T cells at T1, T2, and T3 in subjects with or without corticosteroid treatment during H7N9 infection. (G and H) Frequencies of virus-specific T cells and sampling times for the patients with or without corticosteroid treatment; points from the same patients are connected. In the corticosteroid treatment group one patient provided samples at T1, 2 at T2, 6 at T3, 6 at T1 and T2, 3 at T2 and T3, and 1 at T1, T2, and T3; in the patients not requiring corticosteroid treatment, two patients provided samples at T2, 4 at T3, 2 at T1 and T2, 2 at T2 and T3, and 1 at T1, T2, and T3 (E to H). Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used to analyze longitudinal data across time points in each group (A to H). In comparisons between two groups at the same time point, the Mann-Whitney test was used (A to H).