This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Da-Cruz, A. M. Articles by Coutinho, S. G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Da-Cruz, A. M. Articles by Coutinho, S. G.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, March 2002, p. 251-256, Vol. 9, No. 2
1071-412X/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.9.2.251-256.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

T-Cell-Mediated Immune Responses in Patients with Cutaneous or Mucosal Leishmaniasis: Long-Term Evaluation after Therapy

Alda Maria Da-Cruz,¹ Rita Bittar,¹ Marise Mattos,² Manuel P. Oliveira-Neto,² Ricardo Nogueira,¹ Vanessa Pinho-Ribeiro,¹ Rilza Beatriz Azeredo-Coutinho,¹ and Sergio G. Coutinho^1*

Laboratory of Cellular and Humoral Immunology, Department of Immunology/Protozoology, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz,¹ Centro de Pesquisa Hospital Evandro Chagas, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil²

Received 12 July 2001/ Returned for modification 19 September 2001/ Accepted 8 November 2001

T-cell immune responses in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and mucosal leishmaniasis (ML) were studied during the active disease, at the end of therapy, and 1 to 17 years posttherapy (long-term follow-up). Lymphocyte proliferative responses, phenotypic characterization of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ Leishmania-reactive T cells, and cytokine production were assayed. Patients with active ML and CL showed higher proportions of CD4⁺ than CD8⁺ T cells. In CL, the healing process was associated with a decrease of CD4⁺ and an increase of CD8⁺, leading to similar CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ proportions. This pattern was only seen in ML after long-term therapy. Long-term follow-up of patients with CL showed a positive CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio as observed during the active disease, although the percentages of these T cell subsets were significantly lower. Patients with CL did not show significant differences between gamma interferon (IFN-) and interleukin-5 (IL-5) production during the period of study. Patients with active ML presented higher IFN- and IL-5 levels compared to patients with active CL. IL-4 was only detected during active disease. Patients long term after cure from ML showed increasing production of IFN-, significant decrease of IL-5, and no IL-4 production. Two apparently beneficial immunological parameters were detected in tegumentary leishmaniasis: (i) decreasing proportions of CD4⁺ Leishmania-reactive T cells in the absence of IL-4 production associated with cure of CL and ML and (ii) decreasing levels of IL-5 long after cure, better detected in patients with ML. The observed T-cell responses maintained for a long period in healed patients could be relevant for immunoprotection against reinfection and used as a parameter for determining the prognosis of patients and selecting future vaccine preparations.

---

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratório de Imunidade Celular e Humoral, Departamento de Imunologia, Pav Leônidas Deane, sala 408, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-FIOCRUZ, Av. Brasil, 4365, CEP 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Phone: 55-21-2598-4318 Fax: 55-21-2280-1589. E-mail: coutinho{at}gene.dbbm.fiocruz.br.

---

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, March 2002, p. 251-256, Vol. 9, No. 2
1071-412X/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.9.2.251-256.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Matta, N. E., Nogueira, R. S., Franco, A. M. R., de Souza e Souza, I., Mattos, M. S., Oliveira-Neto, M. P., Coutinho, S. G., Leon, L. L., Da-Cruz, A. M. (2009). Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis Induces Low Immunologic Responsiveness in Leishmaniasis Patients from an Endemic Area of the Brazilian Amazon Highland. Am J Trop Med Hyg 80: 339-344 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Spaner, D. E. (2004). Amplifying cancer vaccine responses by modifying pathogenic gene programs in tumor cells. J. Leukoc. Biol. 76: 338-351 [Abstract] [Full Text]