title: Early activation of mucosal dendritic cells and macrophages in acute Campylobacter colitis and cholera: An in vivo study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Macrophages and dendritic cells are closely related mononuclear phagocytic cells. Little is known about their in vivo role in acute intestinal bacterial infections in humans. We undertook to evaluate these cells in rectal mucosal biopsies of patients with acute colitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  All mucosal mononuclear phagocytic cells in rectal biopsies of patients with acute Campylobacter colitis (n = 5), shigellosis (n = 5), and cholera (n = 10) were evaluated ultrastructurally and compared with those in controls (n = 5).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mononuclear phagocytic cells in the superficial rectal mucosa showed a higher prevalence of ultrastructural features of activation in Campylobacter colitis and cholera than in controls. A lower prevalence of features of activation with increased monocytes was seen in shigellosis. Cells with the ultrastructural morphology of activated dendritic cells constituted 41% and 45% of all mononuclear phagocytic cells in two of five patients with Campylobacter colitis and 4-22% of cells in four of 10 patients with cholera. Their presence in patients with Campylobacter colitis was associated with significant surface epithelial damage and prominent acute inflammatory changes in the mucosa.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first ultrastructural study to show activated macrophages and dendritic cells in vivo in acute Campylobacter colitis and cholera. Dendritic cell activation occurred early in the clinical course of these infections. Surface epithelial damage may play a role in the activation of dendritic cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. annapulimood@cmcvellore.ac.in
authors.forename: Anna B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Pulimood
authors.forename: Balakrishna S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Ramakrishna
authors.forename: Arockiasamy B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Rita
authors.forename: Pattabiraman
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.forename: Vivek
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mohan
authors.forename: Sanjaykumar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Perakath
authors.forename: Gagandeep
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chandy
authors.forename: Kunnissery A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Balasubramanian
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D002771:Cholera / Q000382:microbiology*; D003092:Colitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology*