title: Leishmania-reactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells associated with cure of human cutaneous leishmaniasis.
abstract: Fourteen patients suffering from American cutaneous leishmaniasis were studied. Assays of the lymphocyte proliferative response induced in vitro by Leishmania braziliensis antigens were performed. After 5 days in culture, L. braziliensis-stimulated blast T cells were harvested for CD4+ and CD8+ phenotype analysis. When results before and at the end of therapy were compared, leishmaniasis patients showed an increase in the percentage of CD8+ blast T cells and a decline in the proportion of CD4+ blast T cells in cultures. The levels of gamma interferon in T-cell culture supernatants showed a tendency to increase when the patients were cured. These results show a pattern of higher proportions of Leishmania-reactive CD8+ T cells and lower proportions of Leishmania-reactive CD4+ T cells after cure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Protozoology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute-FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Da-Cruz
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Conceição-Silva
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Bertho
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Coutinho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007892:Leishmania braziliensis / Q000276:immunology*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D016827:CD8 Antigens; D007371:Interferon-gamma