Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9236549 | Clinical Immunology | 2005 | 6 Pages |
Abstract
The previously observed occurrence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA) in patients who have cystic fibrosis (CF), together with the reported decrease in IgG2, a Th1-controlled isotype, suggests a potential for Th1/Th2 imbalance in CF patients with a possible Th2 predominance. 48 CF patients and 16 controls had levels of IFNγ, IL-4, and IL-10 measured in supernatants of whole blood cell cultures stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and phytohemaglutinine (PHA). The patients were divided into 2 groups: “low responders”, having negligible secretion of cytokines (IFNγ: 10.0-200.0 pg/ml, IL-4: 0.0-0.3 pg/ml) and “high responders”, producing high levels of both IFNγ (500.0-2000.0 pg/ml) and IL-4 (1.0-200.0 pg/ml). There was a statistically significant (P < 0.01) deterioration of lung function measured by an FEV1 decline by 11.2% over 3 years in the “low responder” group. 10 of 16 “low responders” had chronic lung infections with P. aeruginosa while such infection was less prevalent in the “high responder” group where only 13 of 32 CF patients had positive cultures. A shift towards Th2 response was observed in the “high responder” group as children chronically infected with P. aeruginosa had greater IL-4 production than non-infected CF patients within the same cohort. ANCA autoanitbodies were found only in the “high responder” group. Th2 immune response predominance in a subset of CF patients is associated with chronic P. aeruginosa infection.
Keywords
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Immunology and Microbiology
Immunology
Authors
Jitka Brazova, Anna Sediva, Dagmara Pospisilova, Vera Vavrova, Petr Pohunek, Milan Jr., Jirina Bartunkova, Hynek Lauschmann,