title: Lymphocytes bearing the gamma delta T-cell receptor in acute toxoplasmosis.
abstract: Although the relative and absolute numbers of CD3+ cells (T lymphocytes) were similar in eight children with acquired Toxoplasma gondii infection and 10 uninfected age- and sex-matched healthy controls, the proportion of cells bearing the gamma delta T-cell receptor was significantly higher in the subjects with acute toxoplasmosis. The great majority of gamma delta T cells from the infected patients expressed covalently bound gamma delta chains on their surface, i.e. were BB3+ lymphocytes. Since the gamma delta T-cell subsets exert both restricted and unrestricted major histocompatibility complex cytotoxicity, further research is needed to elucidate the role of gamma delta T cells in the control of this coccidian protozoan infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Perugia University Medical School, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scalise
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gerli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castellucci
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Spinozzi
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Fabietti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Crupi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sensi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Britta
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vaccaro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bertotto
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000032:analysis*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta