Value of the lymphoblastic transformation in patients with silicosis

The authors verify whether in silicosis the accumulation of silicon dioxide (SiO2) particles in the lung can induce changes of the activated T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. The lymphoblastic transformation of lymphocytes stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt) and purified protein derivative (PPD) was studied using the classical methods. It was observed that in patients exposed to SiO2 lymphocyte reactivity to the above stimulants decreases. Significant differences between patients and controls were observed only in the response to PHA (p < 0.001).