[Immunomorphological aspects of nonspecific bronchitis in pulmonary tuberculosis]

Bronchi of the lungs resected for tuberculosis were examined histotopographically, morphometrically and immunohistologically. The greatest number of cells in the mucous membrane of the bronchi and the greatest extent of hypertrophy of bronchial glands were found in the stage of progression of lung tuberculosis, while normalization of the quantitative values-in the stage of remission. In the stage of progression the cellular infiltrate was characterized by marked pyroninophilia, abundance of blast cells and antigen specificity; when the process stabilises, plasmocytes are predominant in the infiltrate. In chronic tuberculosis, lymphonodules are frequently found in the bronchial wall. The above morphological signs of hypertrophic bronchitis are regarded as manifestations of immunity reactions (cellular, humoral, secretory) induced by penetration into the bronchi of the antigen-containing detritis from destructive foci.