[Changes of dendritic cells and its subsets in peripheral blood of patients with Mycobacterium tuberculosis].

ABSTRACT

AIM: To analyze the changes of dendritic cells and its subsets in peripheral blood of patients with mycobacterium tuberculosis, and to explore its immune mechanism. METHODS: 32 patients with mycobacterium tuberculosis and 11 healthy controls were selected, who were diagnosed in our hospital from Nov. 2008 to Aug. 2009. The patients included 19 initial-treatment cases and 13 retreatment cases, and 19 lung tuberculosis patients with different sputum tests. Dendritic cells and its subsets in peripheral blood were detected by using flow cytometry. RESULTS: DC1 subset and Total DCs in experimental group were (0.28+/-0.13)%, (0.42+/-0.19)% respectively, which were significant lower than they were in control group (0.47+/-0.23)%, (0.65+/-0.22)% respectively (P<0.01); DC1 subset and Total DCs in sputum positive group were (0.16+/-0.04)%, (0.24+/-0.06)% respectively, which were significant lower than they were in sputum negative group(0.28+/-0.14)%, (0.43+/-0.12)% (P<0.05); There was no significance in Total DCs and its subsets between initial-treatment group and retreatment group (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: As its reflection of immune response to mycobacterium tuberculosis, DCs may be regarded as the indicator for screening reservoirs of MTB and evaluating anti-tuberculosis therapy.