Abstract
The lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) by phytohemagglutinin was carried out on lymphocyte cultures from patients with paracoccidioidomycosis, in medium with autologous plasma (from the patient) or homologous plasma (from an unaffected individual), and lymphocyte cultures from unaffected and apparently normal individuals, in medium with autologous plasma (from the individual) or homologous plasma (from a patient with paracoccidioidomycosis). Blastogenesis was evaluated morphologically by ‘blast’ percentage, and the results analyzed according to clinical form of the disease and general condition of the patient. In the medium containing autologous plasma, percentages below the lower limit of the confidence interval for the distribution of the values for apparently normal individuals were encountered more frequently among patients with diffuse extrapulmonary paracoccidioidomycosis and in poor general condition. When the lymphocytes from patients with the disease were cultured in medium containing homologous plasma, blastogenesis increased in most cases. The lymphocytes of unaffected individuals exhibited a lower response more frequently when cultured in medium containing plasma from patients with the disease than when cultured in medium containing their own plasma. These results suggest the existence of factor(s) inhibiting blastogenesis in the plasma of these patients. In addition to such factor(s), an intrinsic lymphocyte defect may also occur in some patients, which might prevent a greater response to phytohemagglutinin even in homologous plasma. Smears of lymphocytes cultured in autologous plasma and obtained from patients, especially those with diffuse extrapulmonary diasease and in regular or poor general condition, and smears from most of the controls whose lymphocytes were cultured in the plasma of these patients revealed deeply stained cells with altered morphology and considerably reduced in number. The decreased blastic transformation might be linked with these abnormalities, possibly caused by factor(s) inhibiting blastogenesis in the culture medium containing patient plasma.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Böyum, A., 1968. Isolation of mononuclear cells and granulocytes from human blood. Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest. 21: 77–89.
Bullock Jr., W. E. & Fasal, P., 1971. Studies of immune mechanism in leprosy. III The role of cellular and humoral factors in impairment of the in vitro immune response. J. Immunol. 106: 888–899.
Graybill, J. R. & Alford, R. H., 1976. Variability of sequential studies of lymphocyte blastogenesis in normal adults. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 25: 25–35.
Mendes, N. F., Mussatti, C. C., Leão, R. C., Mendes, E. & Naspitz, C. K., 1971. Lymphocyte cultures and skin allograft survival in patients with South American blastomycosis. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 48: 40–45.
Mussatti, C. C., Rezkallah, M. T., Mendes, E. & Mendes, N. F., 1976. In vivo and in vitro evaluation of cell-mediated immunity in patients with paracoccidioidomycosis. Cell. Immunol. 24: 365–378.
Nelson, D. S., Nelson, M., Thurston, J. M., Waters, M. F. R. & Pearson, J. M. H., 1971. Phytohemagglutinin-induced lymphocyte transformation in leprosy. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 9: 33–43.
Pagnano, P. M. G., 1974. Blastogênese de linfócitos de doentes de lepra, comunicantes e não comunicantes lepromino-positivos ou negativos, cultivados ‘in vitro’ e estimulados pela fito-hemaglutinina, em meios com soro heterólogo, plasma autólogo ou plasma homólogo. Bol. Serv. nac. Lepra 33: 5–55.
Pagnano, P. M. G., Costa, J. C., Bechelli, L. M. & Fiorillo, A. M., 1977. Lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) in some deep mycosis. South American blastomycosis (SAB), chromomycosis and maduromycosis. In: Proceedings of the XV International Congress of Dermatology, Mexico, 1977, pp. 73–75. Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam.
Restrepo, A., Restrepo, M., Restrepo, F., Aristizábal, L. H., Moncada, L. H. & Vélez, H., 1978. Immune responses in paracoccidioidomycosis. A controlled study of 16 patients before and after treatment. Sabouraudia 16: 151–163.
Roberts, Jr., N. J., 1980. Variability of results of lymphocyte transformation assays in normal human volunteers. Am. J. Clin. Pathol. 73: 160–164.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Da Costa, J.C., Guimarães Pagnano, P.M., Bechelli, L.M. et al. Lymphocyte transformation test in patients with paracoccidioidomycosis. Mycopathologia 84, 55–63 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00436998
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00436998