Sensitized CD8+ T cells fail to control organism burden but accelerate the onset of lung injury during Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

ABSTRACT: While CD8+ cells have been shown to contribute to lung injury during Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), there are conflicting reports concerning the ability of CD8+ cells to kill P. carinii. To address these two issues, we studied the effect of the presence of CD8+ cells in two mouse models of PCP. In the reconstituted SCID mouse model, depletion of CD8+ cells in addition to CD4+ cells after reconstitution did not result in increased numbers of P. carinii cysts compared to the numbers of cysts in mice with only CD4+ cells depleted. This result was observed regardless of whether the mice were reconstituted with naïve or P. carinii-sensitized lymphocytes. In contrast, reconstitution with sensitized lymphocytes resulted in more rapid onset of lung injury that was dependent on the presence

SUBMITTER: Gigliotti F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1695514 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature