Ask. Karhawi et al., Production of IFN-gamma is impaired in patients with paracoccidioidomycosis during active disease and is restored after clinical remission, MED MYCOL, 38(3), 2000, pp. 225-229
Cellular immunity is usually suppressed during paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM)
and is restored after treatment. In this study we evaluated the induction
of a type 1 (interferon gamma (IFN-gamma)), a type 2 (interleukin (IL)-10)
and a primarily macrophage derived cytokine (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-al
pha) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with PCM. E
ight male patients with active PCM, nine male patients with clinical remiss
ion of the disease and 10 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the stu
dy. Cytokines were induced with non-specific stimuli - phytohaemagglutin (P
HA) (induces IL-10 and IFN-gamma), Lipopolysaccharide (induces TNF-alpha) -
and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis antigen (PbAg) (induces IL-10, IFN-gamma
and TNF-alpha). Induction of IFN-gamma with PHA differed among the three g
roups (P < 0.01; Kruskal-Wallis test) and with PbAg was lower in patients w
ith active disease compared to those in clinical remission (P = 0.05; Mann-
Whitney). Induction of IL-10 and of TNF-alpha was similar in the three grou
ps. The suppressed production of IFN-gamma in patients with active disease
may underscore the cellular immune deficiency seen in these patients.