title: Tolerance to cryptococcal polysaccharide in cured cryptococcosis patients: failure of antibody secretion in vitro.
abstract: Ten patients cured of cryptococcosis and 14 normal volunteers were immunized with subcutaneous injections of cryptococcal polysaccharide (CPS). Peripheral mononuclear cells cultured from the volunteers 7 days post-immunization secreted significant amounts of IgM, IgA and IgG antibody to CPS in vitro. In cell cultures obtained 7 days after immunization of patients, nine of 10 had neither IgM nor IgG antibody response to CPS, and eight lacked anti-CPS IgA. Depletion of T lymphocytes from patients' cell cultures did not promote specific antibody secretion to CPS by B cells. The intense, prolonged antigenaemia with CPS that accompanies cryptococcosis may be responsible for the failure of cured patients to have circulating anti-CPS-secreting cells after immunization.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000908:Antibodies, Fungal / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008875:Middle Aged; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000276:immunology*; D012397:Rosette Formation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000908:Antibodies, Fungal; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D011134:Polysaccharides; C014426:cryptococcal polysaccharide