SearchPublisher and Institutes
You are here: Home :: Area NEM :: Medical science :: Human medicine
Christine Armbruster, Walter Krugluger, Monika Huber, Stephan Kriwanek
Immunoglobulin G Fc? receptor expression on polymorphonuclear cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of HIV-infected and HIV-seronegative patients with bacterial pneumonia
This study was designed to test the hypothesis that impaired neutrophil function might contribute to the development of bacterial pneumonia in patients with HIV-infection. Numbers of inflammatory cells and immunoglobulin G Fc? receptor (IgG Fc?R) I, II, III levels were investigated in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of HIV-seronegative and HIV-infected patients with bacterial pneumonia. The 99 patients were classified into three groups: I: HIV-seronegative and pneumonia (n=40); II: HIV-infected and pneumonia (n=19); III: HIV-seronegative with other pulmonary diseases than pneumonia (n=40). The results of groups I and II, II and III, and I and III were compared. The percentage of alveolar macrophages was significantly lower (group II vs. III: p=0.005, group I vs. III: p=0.001), that of neutrophils increased significantly in patients with pneumonia (group II vs. III: p=0.02, group I vs. III: p=0.01). Lymphocytes differed only between groups I and III (p=0.04). Although only the expression of Fc?RI was significantly higher in HIV-seronegative pneumonia patients compared to those without pneumonia (p=0.01), the mean expression of all three receptors was lower in the HIV-infected group, with that of Fc?RI approaching statistical significance.
This report provides first evidence that altered Fc?R expression on BAL neutrophils might contribute to the increased susceptibility of HIV-infected patients to bacterial pneumonia.
Clinical Chemical Laboratory Medicine, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 1434-6621
Volume: 42, 02/2004
Pages: 192 - 197