Host response to mycobacterial infection in the alcoholic rat: male and female dimorphism.
Increased susceptibility to tuberculosis occurs in the alcoholic. One explanation for the altered susceptibility is a change in T-lymphocyte modulation. To evaluate this, 24 male and 24 female Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with either a Lieber-type liquid ethanol diet (LED) or an isocaloric control (LCD). After 2 weeks, half the subjects were infected with BCG (10(8) colony-forming units) and sacrificed after 42 days. Splenic helper (CD4) and suppressor/cytoxic (CD8) cells were quantitated by flow cytometry. By three-way analysis of variance, splenic cellularity was significantly increased by infection (p < 0.0001) but suppressed by LED (p = 0.0002). There was a marginal sexual difference (p = 0.065) with females exhibiting a 35% lower response while on alcohol. Examining lymphocyte subsets, the most significant changes were observed after infection (BCG) and alcohol treatment (LED). CD4 levels were diminished by LED (p = 0.0002) but markedly increased by infection (p < 0.0001), producing a highly significant interaction that affected both absolute number (p < 0.0001) and relative percent present (p = 0.0078). CD8 was influenced only by infection (p < 0.0001). This resulted in a infection-related increase in the CD4/CD8 ratio which was lower with LED (p = 0.0032). Splenic T-lymphocytes, predominately CD4, are involved in the host response to BCG hepatitis and are adversely influenced by LED, which may contribute to increased susceptibility.
Li
X
X
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA.
Grossman
C J
CJ
Mendenhall
C L
CL
Hurtubise
P
P
Rouster
S D
SD
Roselle
G A
GA
Gartside
P
P
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio / Q000187:drug effects; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D007107:Immune System / Q000503:physiopathology; D018655:Lymphocyte Count / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
D000431:Ethanol