Langerhans' cells in paracoccidioidomycosis.
Langerhans' cells (LCs) appear to be altered in diseases that express a depressed cellular immune response. We measured the density of LCs in the skin of patients with the disseminated form of paracoccidioidomycosis. The study was performed using adenosine triphosphatase staining of epidermal sheets. Sixteen patients with paracoccidioidomycosis were evaluated. They had a highly significant reduction in LCs (LCs, 323 +/- 135/mm2) when compared with the number (LCs, 689 +/- 204/mm2) found in the control subjects. Morphological alterations of these cells were noted in patients with low numbers of LCs. These findings may reflect the depressed cellular immunity secondary to the infection with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis.
D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007801:Langerhans Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010228:Paracoccidioides / Q000276:immunology; D010229:Paracoccidioidomycosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial