Changes in Lymphocyte Subsets in the Peripheral Blood of Patients with Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the percentage of lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood in patients with active tuberculosis. A total of 21 patients with active tuberculosis and 15 healthy volunteers were included in the study. T-lymphocyte subsets, B-lymphocytes (CD19(+) cells), natural killer (NK) cells and cells positive for costimulatory molecules CD28 and CD152 were evaluated using flow cytometry. Patients with tuberculosis had a significantly decreased percentage of CD3(+) and CD3(+)CD4(+) cells, and a significantly decreased ratio of CD3(+)CD4(+) to CD3(+)CD8(+) cells compared with healthy controls. In contrast, the percentage of B-cells (CD19(+) cells), CD3(+)CD8(+) cells, CD28(+) cells, CD152(+) cells, and subpopulations of CD4(+)CD152(+), CD8(+)CD152(+) and CD8(+)CD28(+) T-cells were all significantly increased compared with healthy controls. There were no statistically significant differences in the percentages of NK cells or CD4(+)CD28(+) cells between patients and controls. These results indicate that patients with active tuberculosis have altered lymphocyte homeostasis.

IFN-<i>γ</i>-, IL-4-, IL-17-, PD-1-Expressing T Cells and B Cells in Peripheral Blood from Tuberculosis Patients

“…For example, some studies suggest that the percentages of B cells are lower in TB patients than in HS [28,50]. Other studies indicates that the percentage of B cells is either higher or similar between PTB patients and HS [51,52]. In our study PTB and PLTB patients had a higher proportion of B cells than HS.…”

Natural Killer Cells: A Coherent Model for Their Functional Role in <b><i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i></b> Infection

“…In some reports, a reduction in the frequency of peripheral-blood NK cells has been observed in TB patients when compared to healthy donors [87,88]. However, other studies have not found a difference [90,91] or have reported an increase in the peripheral-blood NK cell count in TB patients compared to healthy individuals [89]. The discrepancy encountered in the number of NK cells in the peripheral blood of TB patients compared to healthy donors in different studies could be due to: (1) differences in the stage and gravity of the TB infection in the patients included in the studies [92], (2) the MTB strain involved or (3) the presence/absence and duration of anti-TB antibiotic therapy [87,91].…”

“…In humans, several clinical studies have explored the potential association between NK cell counts in the peripheral blood (CD3 - CD56 + ) and TB [87,88,89,90,91]. In some reports, a reduction in the frequency of peripheral-blood NK cells has been observed in TB patients when compared to healthy donors [87,88].…”

“…The cytotoxic activity of NK cells against natural tumoral target cell-lines or autologous mononuclear phagocytes was the most studied effector function, and the vast majority of studies reported an impaired cytotoxic activity of NK cells in TB patients [44,86,90,94,95,96]. In a few reports in which the NK cell activity was monitored before and after anti-TB treatment, the NK cell cytotoxic activity was restored upon successful antibiotic treatment [90,94]. The results demonstrating a correlation between the NK cell activity and the progress of the disease may suggest a role for NK cells in TB infection.…”

“…cytotoxicity, IFN-γ production and activation) of NK cells obtained from TB patients were assessed following re-stimulation in vitro [44,87,91,94,95,96]. The cytotoxic activity of NK cells against natural tumoral target cell-lines or autologous mononuclear phagocytes was the most studied effector function, and the vast majority of studies reported an impaired cytotoxic activity of NK cells in TB patients [44,86,90,94,95,96]. In a few reports in which the NK cell activity was monitored before and after anti-TB treatment, the NK cell cytotoxic activity was restored upon successful antibiotic treatment [90,94].…”