[Immunophenotyping of peripheral blood lymphocytes from Chilean chronic chagasic patients by flow cytometry].
BACKGROUND
Cellular immune mechanisms of the resistance to infection by T cruzi as well as the pathogenesis of Chagas disease are still controversial.


OBJECTIVE
To quantify and analyse the peripheral blood immune cells from chagasic and non chagasic patients by flow cytometry.


METHODS
Peripheral blood samples were taken from 21 individuals seropositive for Chagas disease, under no specific treatment. Control samples from 21 healthy blood donors were also obtained. To quantify immune cells populations by flow cytometry, antibodies against CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16/56, CD45/14, CD19 and HLA-DR markers were used.


RESULTS
The percentage of CD8+ cells was low and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio was high in chagasic patients, compared to their non infected counterparts. No statistically significant differences in the number of CD4+, NK, B, CD4+HLADR+ and CD8+HLADR+ cells, were observed within the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
These results show that Chilean chronic chagasic patients have lower percentage of CD8+ cells and higher CD4+/CD8+ ratio than non infected individuals.
Sánchez
Gittith
G
Programa Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile. gsanchez@machi.med.uchile.cl
Zulantay
Inés
I
Gajardo
Marta
M
Venegas
Juan
J
Villanueva
Roxana
R
Pérez
Andrés
A
Liendo
Federico
F
Apt
Werner
W
Solari
Aldo
A
D000328:Adult; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D002677:Chile; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping / Q000379:methods*; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged