DEFECTIVE ANTIGEN PRESENTATION BY LAVAGE CELLS FROM TERMINAL PATIENTSWITH CYSTIC-FIBROSIS

Macrophages separated from lavage samples obtained from lungs removed at transplantation from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and other l ung diseases, have been compared with circulating monocytes from the s ame patients for their ability to stimulate allogeneic normal circulat ing lymphocytes and to present antigen to autologous hilar lymph node cells. In general, macrophages separated from lavage samples from CF p atients were unable to stimulate allogeneic lymphocytes and to present antigen, although monocytes from the same patients were functional in both assays. In contrast, lavage cells from non-CF patients were gene rally effective in both allogeneic stimulation and antigen presentatio n. These data suggest that immune cells within the lungs of CF patient s are functionally compromised, a deficiency which may contribute to t he recurrent infections characteristic of the disease.