The spleen is an important site of T cell activation during human hepatosplenic schistosomiasis

• Main Author: Martins-Filho,OA
• Publication Date: 1998
• Other Authors: Mello,JRC, Correa-Oliveira,R
• Format: Report
• Language: eng
• Source: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
• Download full: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02761998000700023
• topic: schistosomiasis; spleen cells; flow cytometry

We have undertaken a comparative immunephenotypic study of spleen cells from hepatosplenic patients (HS) and uninfected individuals (NOR) using flow cytometry. Our data did not show any significant differences in the mean percentage of T-cells and B-cells between the two groups. Analysis of activated T-cells demonstrated that HS present an increased percentage of CD3+HLA-DR+ splenocytes in comparison to NOR. Analysis of T-cell subsets demonstrated a significant increase on the percentage of both activated CD4+ T-splenocytes and CD8+ cells in HS. We did not find any difference in the mean percentage of CD28+ T-cells. Analysis of the B-cell compartment did not show any difference on the percentage of B1-splenocytes. However, the spleen seems to be an important reservoir/source for B1 lymphocytes during hepatosplenic disease, since after splenectomy we found a decreased the percentage of circulating B1-lymphocytes. We observed an increase on the percentage of CD2+CD3- lymphocytes in the spleen of HS suggesting that the loss of CD3 by activated T-cells or the expansion of NK-cells might play a role in the development/maintenance of splenomegaly.