Lymphocyte populations in tuberculous pleural effusions

Different systemic and local responses to mycobacterial antigens suggest an active compartmentalization of responsive lymphocytes to tubercular antige ns. This fact, observed in pleuritic processes, raises doubts about the acc uracy of information obtained in the study of cells taken solely from perip heral blood. For this reason we decided to study the concept of compartment alization in 140 patients suffering from pleural effusions. Patients were c lassified into six groups according to the aetiology of the effusion: group I, tuberculous, n = 23; group II, paraneoplastic, n = 41; group III, metap neumonic empyematous, n = 5; group IV, transudate, n = 38; group V, miscell aneous exudate, n = 19; group VI, unknown aetiology, n = 14. In each group we studied the lymphocyte population by using flow cytometry with doubly fl uorescent monoclonal antibodies: B [expressing human lymphocyte antigen (HL A)-DR on the surface], T (CD3 +), CD4 + and CD8 +, and the subpopulation of activated T lymphocytes (together expressing CD3 and HLA-DR on the surface ) (CD3 + DR +). The study of these subpopulations in peripheral blood did n ot yield valuable results, but the CD3 + DR + population in pleural fluid d emonstrated a diagnostic efficiency of 84% [positive predictive value (PPV) 51%, negative predictive value (NPV) 96%] at a cut-off value of 80.4 cells /mm(3). The CD3 + DR + pleural fluid/peripheral blood ratio demonstrated an efficiency of 83% (PPV 50%, NPV 96%), and showed a statistically significa nt difference (P < 0.02) with regard to all the diagnostic groups, with the exception of the paraneoplastic effusions. The lymphocytic subpopulations study confirms the concept of compartmentalization in tuberculous pleuritis , as shown by the greater number of activated T lymphocytes present in pleu ral fluid in comparison with peripheral blood in tuberculous pleuritis, a 9 8% efficiency of adenosine deaminase (ADA) determination in pleural fluid v ersus a 50% value in peripheral blood, predominance of helper cells (CD4 +) in pleural fluid and suppressor cells (CD8 +) in peripheral blood, a great er CD4 +/CD8 + ratio in pleural fluid than in peripheral blood, and a signi ficant correlation of ADA-CD3 + DR + in pleural fluid, which does not occur in peripheral blood.