title: Defective interferon-gamma production in patients with hairy cell leukaemia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) have an increased susceptibility to intracellular pathogens, such as mycobacteria and Listeria. Although several abnormalities of T-cell populations have been described in HCL, the effector mechanism responsible for the increased susceptibility to infections is not known.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood was collected from 11 patients with HCL and 22 age- and gender-matched volunteers. Proinflammatory cytokine production by freshly isolated mononuclear cells was stimulated with either lipopolysaccharide or various heat-killed microorganisms. Cytokine concentrations were assessed by specific ELISAs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We demonstrate that mononuclear cells harvested from HCL patients have a specific defect of IFNgamma production when stimulated with a broad panel of bacterial stimuli. In contrast, the production of other proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF, IL-1beta and IL-6, did not differ between HCL patients and controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The specific defect in IFNgamma production may play a role in the susceptibility of patients with hairy cell leukaemia towards intracellular pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Netea
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hoitink
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kullberg
authors.forename: J W M
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: van der Meer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raymakers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016207:Cytokines; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007943:Leukemia, Hairy Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009161:Mycobacterium; D010865:Pilot Projects
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007371:Interferon-gamma