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Impaired monocyte function in patients successfully treated for Whipple's disease
1Small Bowel Section, Hospital Nacional de Gastroenterología, Academia Nacional de Medicina, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Acta Gastroenterologica Latinoamericana
|January 1, 1996
Summary
Patients with Whipple's disease in long-term remission show a defect in monocyte intracellular killing of microorganisms. This impaired immune function in monocytes persists years after diagnosis and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Whipple's disease is a rare systemic infectious disease caused by Tropheryma whipplei.
- Long-term remission is achievable with antibiotic therapy, but the long-term effects on immune function are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the in vitro intracellular killing capacity of monocytes in patients with Whipple's disease in long-term remission.
- To determine if defects in monocyte function persist years after successful treatment.
Main Methods:
- Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (monocytes) were isolated from patients (n=12) and healthy controls (n=8).
- Phagocytosis and intracellular lysis of Candida tropicalis by monocytes were quantified after 30 minutes of incubation.
Main Results:
- Phagocytosis of Candida tropicalis by monocytes was comparable between patients and controls.
- Intracellular killing of Candida tropicalis was significantly lower in monocytes from patients in remission compared to controls (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Monocytes from patients with Whipple's disease in long-term remission exhibit an in vitro defect in intracellular killing function.
- This defect appears to be a persistent consequence of the disease, independent of recent relapse or susceptibility to other infections.