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To investigate whether interleukins are involved in the formation of alveolitis in pulmonary sarcoidosis, interleukin-1 (IL-1) production by LPS-stimulated alveolar macrophages (AM) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production by PHA-stimulated lung and blood T-cells were determined in 35 untreated patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. The amount of IL-1 produced by AM (BAL IL-1) was significantly increased in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis compared with that in 18 control subjects. BAL IL-1 showed a significant positive correlation with the intensity of alveolitis assessed by the proportion of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and the absolute number of lymphocytes per milliliter of BALF. However, the amount of IL-2 produced by lung T-cells (BALT IL-2) showed a significant negative correlation with the intensity of alveolitis. BALT IL-2 was significantly lower than the amount of IL-2 produced by blood T-cells (PBT IL-2). There was no correlation between PBT IL-2 and the intensity of alveolitis. These results suggest that IL-2 contributes to the formation and maintenance of alveolitis in pulmonary sarcoidosis, whereas IL-2 production by lung T-cells is suppressed to down-regulate the enhanced immune processes at the site of disease. The possibility that this hyporesponsiveness of lung T-cells to PHA has resulted from the modulation of the T3-T cell receptor complex remains to be determined.

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The prevalence of serum-precipitating antibodies toMicropolyspora faeni and Thermoactinomyces vulgaris was studied by immunoelectrophoresis in 442 dairy farmers living in Hokkaido, the northernmost district of Japan. The prevalence rates of antibodies to M.faeni and T. vulgaris were 24.2 and 11.6%, respectively. The rate of antibodies to M.faeni was higher among females than males. This difference may be due to the large number of nonsmokers among females. Prevalence of antibodies to M.faeni or M. faeni and T. vulgaris was associated with a higher hay acreage and longer working hours per day in the cowshed, and not to the size of the dairy herd. These results were partly different from those reported from other countries.