THE T-CELL RECEPTOR SUBSETS OF LYMPHOCYTES IN BRONCHOALVEOLAR LAVAGE IN PATIENTS WITH ACTIVE PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS

Study objective. To determine whether or not the levels of gamma/delta lymphocytes increase in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from patie nts with pulmonary tuberculosis. Design. Prospective data collection r elating to cells in BAL fluid and peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( PBMC) from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and control subjects. Setting. A university hospital, from March 1990 to December 1993. Pati ents. Thirteen patients with pulmonary tuberculosis who were diagnosed by culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from their sputum of BAL flu id and/or clinical response were enrolled in the study. Fifteen health y volunteers participated as control subjects. Measurements and result s. The differential cell counts in BAL fluid were made by Diff-Quik st ain. The percentages of T-cell receptor (TCR) (gamma/delta and alpha/b eta)-positive lymphocytes and interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptor-positive C D3 lymphocytes in BAL fluid and peripheral blood were measured by dual scan with flow-cytometry. The percentage and absolute number of lymph ocytes and the percentages of CD3+, IL2R(+) lymphocytes in BAL fluid s ignificantly increased in patients with tuberculosis when compared wit h those of control subjects. The percentages and numbers of gamma/delt a and alpha/beta TCR-positive lymphocytes in BAL fluid and PBMC from p atients with tuberculosis and indistinguishable from those of control subjects. Conclusions. gamma/delta Lymphocytes do not appear to have a s much meaning in patients as they do in animal studies.