title: Diversity in migration of CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes in different microanatomical compartments of the skin in the tuberculin reaction in man.
abstract: The lymphocytes in the perivascular foci of tuberculin skin tests have a similar CD4:CD8 ratio to those in the peripheral blood, suggesting that these subsets do not show bias in their initial emigration. By contrast, the diffusely infiltrating lymphocytes show a relative preponderance of CD4 cells which is progressively greater in successive 250 micron layers into the dermis. A generally similar pattern is seen in healthy controls and in patients with untreated pulmonary tuberculosis, treated leprosy, haemophilia A and chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) patients treated with prednisolone, but the gradient of increasing CD4:CD8 ratio with depth into the dermis is significantly less steep in patients with tuberculosis, haemophilia and prednisolone-treated COLD than in the healthy controls. Selective migration results in a relative preponderance of CD4 cells in the diffuse infiltrate and it is suggested that this is a mechanism likely to potentiate defensive reaction to Mycobacterium tuberculosis: any deficiency in selective migration may make immunological defences less effective and so contribute to the chronicity of the lesions of tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Dundee, UK.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Morley
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Grange
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Gibbs
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Potts
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kardjito
mesh_terms: D002465:Cell Movement; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology*; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000276:immunology; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000276:immunology