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Differential Th1/Th2 balance in peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients suffering from flea bite-induced papular
A Cuéllar1, A Rodríguez, F Rojas
1Departamento de Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá. Colombia.
Background:
The Th1/Th2 balance has not been characterized in patients suffering from flea bite-induced papular urticaria (FBPU). Our aim was to improve understanding of the immunopathogenesis of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in humans suffering from flea bite-induced papular urticaria.
Methods:
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained from 18 pediatric patients and 10 age-matched healthy controls. Cellular phenotypes, intracellular production of interferon gamma (IFNgamma) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in T-cells stimulated with polyclonal stimuli was determined by flow cytometry following short-term in vitro stimulation.
Results:
The results revealed lower frequencies of IFNgamma-secreting (p = 0.02) and higher frequencies of IL-4-secreting (p = 0.03) CD4+ T-cells in patient lymphocyte cultures compared to healthy control cultures in the presence of polyclonal stimuli. This is the first description of differential cytokine patterns in papular urticaria patients.
Conclusion:
Patients suffering from papular urticaria have an atopic status compared to healthy children.