Sequestration of T lymphocytes to body fluids in tuberculosis: reversal of anergy following chemotherapy.
The specificity of CD4 T lymphocytes was investigated in 6 patients affected by tuberculosis who had negative tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) skin tests at diagnosis. Polyclonal CD4 T cell lines from the peripheral blood failed to proliferate to PPD and to the 16- or 38-kDa proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while CD4 cell lines from the disease site responded to PPD and to the 16- and 38-kDa proteins and derived epitopes in vitro. Four months after chemotherapy, the patients became responsive to PPD. The proliferative response to PPD and to the 16- or 38-kDa proteins and their derived peptides decreased in CD4 T cell lines from the disease site and increased in lines from the peripheral blood. These results indicate that CD4 T cells recognizing a vast array of M. tuberculosis epitopes are compartmentalized at the site of disease in anergic patients but appear in peripheral blood after chemotherapy.
Dieli
F
F
Institute of General Pathology, University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy. dieli@unipa.it
Friscia
G
G
Di Sano
C
C
Ivanyi
J
J
Singh
M
M
Spallek
R
R
Sireci
G
G
Titone
L
L
Salerno
A
A
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D017635:Clonal Anergy; D006801:Humans; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D014373:Tuberculin / Q000276:immunology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*
C075966:Ag38 antigen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D008074:Lipoproteins; D014373:Tuberculin; C072681:Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens