Lymphocyte responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis are similar between BCG-vaccinated patients with cystic fibrosis and healthy controls
Mauch, R.M.; Alves, P.C.és.M.; Levy, C.E.; Ribeiro, J.é D.; Ribeiro, A.ôn.F.; Høiby, N.; Nolasco da Silva, M.T.
Journal of Cystic Fibrosis Official Journal of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society 19(4): 575-579
2020
ISSN/ISBN: 1873-5010 PMID: 32061516 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcf.2020.01.013
Accession: 069818461
The low rate of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) among Brazilian patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) may be due to cross-reactive Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination. In the present pilot study, we aimed to compare the lymphocyte responses against Mycobacterium tuberculosis(Mtb) and Mycobacterium bovis (BCG) in BCG-vaccinated CF patients and healthy controls. The lymphocyte responses of CF patients (n = 10) and healthy controls (n = 10) were assessed in terms of lymphocyte proliferation index (LPI), using flow cytometry. Median rates of each cell subtype - CD4, CD8, γδ T cells and CD19 (B) cells - were also determined. Median LPIs (CF vs. controls) were 22.9% vs. 13.0% (p = 0.481) and 23.1% vs. 17.6% (p = 0.481), upon stimulation with Mtb and BCG, respectively. Both groups had a predominant CD4 T cell response to Mtb (median rate = 82.5% vs. 79.7%; p = 0.796) and BCG (LPI = 84.3% vs. 83.0%; p = 0.853), which were significantly higher than the CD8, CD19 and γδ responses within both groups. CF patients tended to have a higher CD8 T cell response upon stimulation with the phytohemagglutinin mitogen than healthy controls (median rate = 42.8% vs. 31.7%, p = 0.075). The responses of BCG-vaccinated CF patients to Mtb and BCG are at least similar to those of healthy individuals. These are probably memory responses elicited by the BCG vaccination, which can cross-react with NTM and may explain the low frequency of NTM lung infection in our CF center.