Research from Colorado State University in the area of tuberculosis described
2007 NOV 19 -- "Pulmonary tuberculosis in guinea pigs is an extremely useful model for drug and vaccine testing due to the fact that its pathological disease process is similar to that present in humans. Progress in this field has been hindered because the tools necessary to undertake a complete immunological analysis of the guinea. pig cellular immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been lacking," researchers in the United States report. "In this study, we combined a new flow cytometric gating strategy with immunohistochemistry to track T cells, B cells, and the MIL4 Ab, which detects both guinea pig heterophils (neutrophils) and eosinophils, to provide the first documentation of the kinetics of influx and positioning of these cell populations. The results show that the responding T cells are mostly CD4 cells and that after day 30 of the infection numbers of these cells in the lungs drops dramatically. These appear to be replaced by a steady increase in B cells and granulocytes which was associated with worsening lung pathology," wrote D. Ordway and colleagues, Colorado State University. The researchers concluded: "These data reveal new information about the cellular phenotypes which mediate protective immunity or host immunopathogenesis during M. tuberculosis infection in this key animal model." Ordway and colleagues published their study in the Journal of Immunology (The cellular immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in the guinea pig. Journal of Immunology, 2007;179(4):2532-2541). For additional information, contact D. Ordway, Colorado State University, Dept. of Microbiology Immunology & Pathology, Mycobacteria Research Laboratories, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. Publisher contact information for the Journal of Immunology is: American Association Immunologists, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. Keywords: United States, Fort Collins, Cutaneous Tuberculosis, Colorado State University. This article was prepared by Tuberculosis Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2007, Tuberculosis Week via NewsRx.com.
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