Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, cilt.157, sa.9, ss.4222-4229, 1996 (SCI-Expanded)
Although gamma delta T cells are known to contain the highest frequency of mycobacteria-reactive cells in humans and numerous studies have suggested that they play an important role in the initial immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), very few studies have attempted to analyze these cells in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. The aim of the present study was therefore to evaluate the consequences of infection on the number and activity of mycobacteria-reactive gamma delta T cells. Three-color flow cytometric analysis of blood and bronchoalveolar lavage gamma delta T cells of patients diagnosed with active pulmonary tuberculosis showed that compared with normal healthy subjects and patients with the unrelated pulmonary granulomatous diseases sarcoidosis and berylliosis the size of the mycobacteria-reactive V gamma 9(+)/V delta 2(+) gamma delta T cell subset in both the blood and lung was dramatically reduced, In addition, the V gamma 9(+)/V delta 2(+) cells left intact in patients with tuberculosis were refractory to in vitro stimulation by Mtb Ags, which are potent stimuli far these cells in normal subjects. Our results demonstrate for the first time a strong correlation between the absence or loss of the major V gamma 9(+)/V delta 2(+) Mtb-reactive subset of gamma delta T cells and manifestations of disease, consistent with the hypothesis that these gamma delta T cells play a role in the protective immune response to Mtb infection.