title: Lower percentage of CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood of patients with sporotrichosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the peripheral immunity and immunity response of patients with sporotrichosis, in this study we determined the lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of Chinese patients with sporotrichosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study, peripheral blood was collected from 69 sporotrichosis patients (37, fixed cutaneous form; 32 lymphocutaneous) and 66 healthy controls. Lymphocyte subsets were analyzed using flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to controls, the percentage of CD8+ T cells was lower in sporotrichosis patients. The percentage of CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood tended to become lower with disease duration and disease severity, although the difference was not statistically significant for either acute, subacute and chronic patients or fixed cutaneous and lymphocutaneous patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate that the decrease of CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood of patients with sporotrichosis is associated with disease severity, although the difference was not statistically significant for either duration or clinical forms of the disease. Combining antifungal agents and immunomodulators in patients with long disease duration and lymphocutaneous may be more beneficial than antifungal monotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, China-Japan Union Hospital Of Jilin University, 126 Xiantai St, Erdao, Changchun, Jilin 130033, China.
authors.forename: Mingji
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, China-Japan Union Hospital Of Jilin University, 126 Xiantai St, Erdao, Changchun, Jilin 130033, China.
authors.forename: Yaqin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, China-Japan Union Hospital Of Jilin University, 126 Xiantai St, Erdao, Changchun, Jilin 130033, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: Research Center, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, 126 Xiantai St, Erdao, Changchun, Jilin 130033, China.
authors.forename: Jinlan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Second Hospital of Qinhuangdao, Changli, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066600, China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, China-Japan Union Hospital Of Jilin University, 126 Xiantai St, Erdao, Changchun, Jilin 130033, China. Electronic address: jiangrihuajiaoshou@163.com.
authors.forename: Rihua
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001775:Blood Circulation / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D002469:Cell Separation; D002681:China; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013174:Sporotrichosis / Q000276:immunology*
keywords: CD4+ T cells; CD8+ T cells; Peripheral blood; Sporotrichosis