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T-lymphocyte subpopulations in tuberculosis
S Swaminathan1, K S Nandini, L E Hanna
1Tuberculosis Research Center, Chennai, 600 031, India. Center for pulmonary and Infectious Disease Control, University of Texas Health Center at Tyler, Texas, USA.
Insights
Pediatric tuberculosis is linked to lower numbers of CD3+ and CD4+ T cells. Treatment for tuberculosis in children effectively restores these vital immune cell counts.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Tuberculosis (TB) impacts cell-mediated immunity, causing both qualitative and quantitative immune defects.
- Immune system alterations in children with TB, particularly lymphocyte profiles, remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in lymphocyte subpopulations in children diagnosed with tuberculosis.
- To assess the impact of antituberculosis therapy on these lymphocyte changes.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study was conducted involving children at referral hospitals.
- Lymphocyte subpopulations were analyzed using flow cytometry.
- Participants included healthy controls, children with newly diagnosed pulmonary TB, and children undergoing TB treatment.
Main Results:
- Children with TB exhibited reduced absolute numbers and percentages of CD3+ and CD4+ T cells compared to healthy controls.
- A significant increase in CD4+ T cell counts was observed after antituberculosis therapy.
- The proportion of T cells expressing the gamma delta T cell receptor remained similar between TB patients and controls.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric tuberculosis is associated with a systemic reduction in CD3+ and CD4+ T cells.
- Antituberculosis therapy leads to a reversal of these T cell deficits in children.
Background:
Tuberculosis is associated with both qualitative and quantitative defects in the cell mediated immune response. The changes that occur in the lymphocyte profile in blood in children with tuberculosis are not well understood.
Design:
Prospective study.
Setting:
Referral hospitals.
Methods:
Lymphocyte subpopulations were determined by flow cytometry in 17 healthy tuberculin positive children, in 22 children with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis and in 8 of these children after antituberculosis therapy.
Results:
Absolute numbers and percentages of CD3+ and CD4+ T cells were reduced in children with tuberculosis, compared to controls. CD4+ counts increased significantly following antituberculosis treatment, compared to baseline values. In contrast, the proportion of T cells expressing the gdT cell receptor was similar in tuberculosis patients and controls.
Conclusion:
Children with tuberculosis have a systemic decrease in the proportion and number of CD3+ and CD4+ T cells which reverses during therapy.