title: Immunologic responsiveness in American cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions.
abstract: American cutaneous leishmaniasis is a disease of skin and mucous membranes in which T lymphocytes reactive to Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis are thought to contribute to protective immunity. To characterize the nature of the T cell inflammatory infiltrate in American cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions, immunohistochemistry with mAb that define T cell subpopulations and in situ hybridization to detect mRNA coding for IFN-gamma were performed. In both localized cutaneous (LCL) and mucocutaneous (MCL) lesions, we observed a predominance of T memory (CD4+CD45RO+) as compared to T naive cells (CD+CD45RA+). The percentages of cells containing IFN-gamma mRNA were equivalent in both LCL and MCL lesions. T cells were extracted from LCL and MCL lesions and analysis indicated that T cells from both lesions had been stimulated by L. (V.) braziliensis in vivo and gave equivalent proliferative responses in vitro. The present data suggest that T memory cells, which are likely to elaborate IFN-gamma, are components of DTH response to L. (V.) braziliensis and participate in the pathogenesis of both LCL and MCL lesions.
authors.affiliation: Evandro Chagas Hospital, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pirmez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paes-Oliveira
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schubach
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Torigian
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Modlin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics; D007892:Leishmania braziliensis / Q000276:immunology*; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000276:immunology*; D007897:Leishmaniasis, Mucocutaneous / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D007371:Interferon-gamma