Analysis of cells in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with neurocysticercosis by means of flow cytometry

The events of the cellular immune response in neurocysticercosis (NC) are n ot fully understood. Studies of the CD3, CD3/CD4, CD3/CD8, CD45/CD19, and C D45/CD56 molecules and activation-related COCO molecule in cells from the c erebrospinal fluid (CSF) and peripheral blood (PB) of patients with NC may provide a better elucidation of the inflammatory and immunological events o ccurring in this disease, Seven patients with NC and 3 individuals with oth er disorders were evaluated by a three-color flow cytometric method. COCO w as detected in a higher percentage of cells in all CSF samples from patient s, hut not in PB or CSF from the control group. The percentage of CD3+ cell s did not differ significantly in CSF and PC cells from patients and contro ls. The predominance of CD3+CD8+ cells was observed in CSF from one patient and in PC from 2 patients, who were in stage III of the disease (inflammat ory process). The percentage of CD45+CD19+ eel Is was higher in CSF than in PB from patients who presented anti-cysticercus antibodies in CSF, The per centage of CD45+CD56+ cells in CSF was higher than in PC, hut this rate was similar to reference values reported by other authors. Our data suggest th at the cytometric method applied to a larger number of CSF samples may prov ide a better understanding of the cell-mediated immune response involved in NC. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.