TCR specificity in infection induced granulomas

Granuloma formation is an essential host response to many intracellular pat hogens and some particulate antigens. T lymphocytes, especially CD4+ T-cell s, are required for the initial formation and ongoing maintenance of the in flammatory response. In the absence of CD4+ T-cells, most infections which normally provoke a granulomatous response are more widely disseminated or l ethal since the protective lesions are either malformed or absent. The role of T-cell receptor mediated antigen specificity in infectious states is re viewed with a special emphasis upon recent work on S. mansoni induced granu lomas. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.