Open AccessImmunohistochemical Evaluation of T Cells in Oral Lesions from Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Persons with Oropharyngeal Candidiasis
Author(s) -
Tammy A. Myers,
Janet E. Leigh,
Alfredo R. Arribas,
Shan Hager,
Rebecca A. Clark,
Elizabeth A. Lilly,
Paul L. Fidel
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
infection and immunity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.508
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1070-6313
pISSN - 0019-9567
DOI - 10.1128/iai.71.2.956-963.2003
Subject(s) - lamina propria , biology , cd8 , candida albicans , immunology , immunohistochemistry , epithelium , pathology , cytotoxic t cell , immune system , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , in vitro , genetics , biochemistry
Oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC), caused by Candida albicans, is the most frequent opportunistic fungal infection in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive persons. Although Th1-type CD4(+) T cells are considered important for host defense against mucosal C. albicans infections, there is a paucity of information regarding the presence and/or role of T cells in OPC lesions. In pursuit of this, initial chromophore immunohistochemical studies showed a majority of CD8(+) rather than CD4(+) cells equally distributed throughout the buccal mucosa of OPC(-) persons (HIV(-) or HIV(+)), irrespective of blood CD4(+) cell numbers. In contrast, CD8(+) cells in lesions from HIV(+) OPC(+) persons were in significantly higher numbers and concentrated at the lamina propria-epithelium interface, a considerable distance from the Candida at the outer epithelium. Dual fluorescence and confocal microscopy confirmed that the majority of CD8(+), but not CD4(+), cells were T cells by the presence or absence, respectively, of CD3 on each cell type. These results suggest that CD8(+) T cells may be important for oral host defense against OPC, especially when CD4 cell numbers are reduced, with a potential CD8 cell-specific dysfunction associated with susceptibility to OPC.