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Pulmonary inflammation and immune responses during the course of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection: lymphocyte subsets in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of rats
Author(s) -
RAMASWAMY K.,
BEFUS D.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
parasite immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1365-3024
pISSN - 0141-9838
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3024.1993.tb00611.x
Subject(s) - bronchoalveolar lavage , nippostrongylus brasiliensis , immunology , cd8 , biology , lymphocyte , immune system , inflammation , lung , medicine
Summary Quantitative measurements were made of different phenotypes of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of rats during the course of a primary or secondary infection with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis. These changes were compared with those in the peripheral blood to understand the site‐specificity of the responses. Following infection, there was a significant increase in both B and T lymphocytes in BALF. The CD4: CD8 ratio was significantly altered with a decreased ratio on day 2 and increased ratio on days 16 and 32 post infection (p.i.). Two colour analysis showed that during larval migration through the lungs (day 2 p.i.) there was a significant increase in CD8+, CD4+ OX22+ and CD4+ OX22‐ cells in BALF. As infection progressed in time, CD4+ OX22 – cells were increased significantly. Compared to primary infection, a secondary infection resulted in increased recovery of CD4+ OX22– cells in BALF. These changes were not readily appreciated in the peripheral blood, suggesting site‐specific compartmentalization of lymphocyte responses in the lung. The functional significance of these dynamic changes in lymphocyte subsets in the airspaces following infection remains to be identified.