Anergic pulmonary tuberculosis is associated with contraction of the Vd2+T cell population, apoptosis and enhanced inhibitory cytokine production.
OBJECTIVE
To study the association of anergic pulmonary tuberculosis with Vδ2(+) T cells and related cytokine levels.


METHODS
82 pulmonary tuberculosis patients were divided into two groups according to their purified protein derivative tuberculin skin test (TST) results: 39 with TST-negative anergic pulmonary tuberculosis and 43 with TST-positive pulmonary tuberculosis, while 40 healthy volunteers were used as control. Based on chest X-ray results, the tuberculosis lesions were scored according to their severity, with a score of ≤ 2.5 ranking as mild, 2.5-6 as moderate and ≥ 6 as severe. The Vδ2(+) T cell percentage and their expression levels of the apoptosis-related membrane surface molecule FasL in peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) were analyzed by flow cytometry, while IL-2, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 cytokine and γ-interferon (γ-IFN) concentrations in peripheral blood were determined by ELISA.


RESULTS
Most of the patients with chest X-ray lesion scores higher than 6 belonged to the anergic tuberculosis group (P<0.05). Anergic pulmonary tuberculosis patients displayed reduced peripheral blood Vδ2(+) T cell counts (P<0.05) and higher FasL expression in peripheral blood Vδ2(+) T cells (P <0.05). The Vδ2(+) T cell percentages in the BALF of all tuberculosis patients were lower than in their peripheral blood (P <0.05), and IL-4 and IL-10 concentrations in peripheral blood of anergic tuberculosis patients were higher than in TST-positive tuberculosis patients and healthy controls (P <0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Anergic pulmonary tuberculosis is accompanied by reduced Vδ2(+) T cell percentage, and elevated Vδ2(+) T cell FasL expression as well as enhanced IL-4 and IL-10 levels in peripheral blood.
Department of Tuberculosis, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Liping
L
Yan
Haiyan
H
Cui
Heping
H
Xiao
Qing
Q
Zhang
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D017635:Clonal Anergy / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000378:metabolism*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
D016207:Cytokines; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta