Defective interferon-gamma production by T-lymphocytes from patients with acute brucellosis.
The authors investigated the production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated T-lymphocytes from 21 untreated patients with acute brucellosis. PHA-stimulated T-lymphocytes from acute brucellosis patients showed normal IL-2 production but defective IFN-gamma production (brucellosis patients 531 +/- 103 pg mL-1 vs. healthy controls 1024 +/- 212 pg mL-1) after 72 h of culture. This altered pattern of IL-2 and IFN-gamma production by T-lymphocytes was observed in seven brucellosis patients whose T-lymphocytes exhibited a normal proliferative response to PHA (61 612 +/- 18 422 cpm) as well as in the 14 patients with a defective T-lymphocyte proliferative response to the PHA after 5 days of culture (19 479 +/- 4409 cpm). After antibiotic therapy, production of the two lymphokines by the PHA-stimulated T-lymphocytes from acute brucellosis patients was similar to that of T-lymphocytes from healthy control subjects. The authors conclude that PHA-stimulated T-lymphocytes from untreated patients with acute brucellosis have defective INF-gamma production but normal IL-2 production.
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital General y Universitario del Insalud de Guadalajara, Spain.
M
M
Rodriguez-Zapata
I
I
Salmeron
L
L
Manzano
O J
OJ
Salmeron
A
A
Prieto
M
M
Alvarez-Mon
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*
D007376:Interleukin-2; D007371:Interferon-gamma