INCREASE IN T-CELLS BEARING CD25 IN BRONCHOALVEOLAR LAVAGE FLUID FROMHAM TSP PATIENTS AND HTLV-I CARRIERS/

To determine the immunologic characteristics of T-cells in local pulmo nary lesions of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I(HTLV-I) carrier s, we investigated lymphocyte surface markers in peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of 38 HTLV-I carriers, 8 HTLV-I as sociated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) patients, 4 4 HTLV-I seronegative patients with pulmonary diseases and 7 healthy v olunteers using two-color flow cytometric analysis. In peripheral bloo d, activated T-cells, CD4+HLA-DR+, CD8+HLA-DR+ and CD3+CD25+, and CD4CD29+ cells increased significantly in carriers and HAM/TSP patients c ompared with healthy volunteers and seronegative patients. In BALF, T- cells, especially CD25+ cells, increased significantly in carriers and HAM/TSP patients, compared with healthy volunteers and seronegative p atients. These findings indicated that T-cells in the lungs, as well a s in peripheral blood, are activated in carriers and HAM/TSP patients. Interestingly, there was dissociation between expression of CD3+CD25 cells in BALF and peripheral blood from these patients. These results suggest that T-cells activated probably by HTLV-I accumulate in the l ungs in some carriers and HAM/TSP patients, and HTLV-I may be involved in the immunologic dysfunction in the lungs of these patients. Howeve r, we did not find any correlation between the degree of clinical feat ures and the elevation of CD3+CD25+ cells in BALF, or its characterist ic features on chest roentgenograms.