Increased apoptosis of immunocompetent cells as a possible mechanism in the development of immunodeficiency in patients with acutely progressive tuberculosis

• Published in: Problemy tuberkuleza no. 6; p. 6
• Main Authors: Khomenko, A G, Koval'chuk, L V, Mishin, V I, Pavliuk, A S, Veselova, A V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Russia (Federation) 1996
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adult; Apoptosis - immunology; Biomarkers - blood; CD4-CD8 Ratio; Disease Progression; Humans; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes - etiology; Middle Aged; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - metabolism; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - complications; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - immunology
• ISSN: 0032-9533

The formation of immunodeficiency whose likely mechanism is apoptosis of some immunocompetent cells was studied in 35 patients with caseous pneumonia. The leading clinical sign of apoptosis in acutely progressive tuberculosis is significant lymphopenia (4-10%). Immunological studies indicated a substantial reduction in the count of T lymphocytes and their regulatory subpopulations of different phenotypes. In vitro mitogenic induction causes a decline of activated CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ cells on the average by 10-40%, a decrease in the proliferative and synthetic functions, as compared with those in patients with infiltrative tuberculosis of the lung and healthy donors. Cytochemical findings in the same patients show that half the lymphocytes in the blood samples from patients with caseous pneumonia has profound intracellular metabolic disturbances. These cells are unavailable and undergo apoptosis, which determines immunodeficiency in patients with acutely progressive tuberculosis.