Immune Responses to Aspergillus fumigatus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Antigens in Cystic Fibrosis and Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis

¹ From the Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and Research Service, VA Medical Center, Milwaukee
² From the Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
³ From the Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
⁴ From the Department of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is well documented. Aspergillus fumigatus is the causative agent of ABPA, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa particularly the mucoid variety has been frequently isolated from the sputum of patients with CF. This study investigates the cellular and humoral immune response to both A fumigatus and P aeruginosa antigens in patients with CF and ABPA (CF/ABPA), CF only, and healthy controls. The A fumigatus and P aeruginosa antigen specific IgE and IgG in sera and peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture supernatants (PBMC sups), lymphoproliferation to antigens, and leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄) were measured. Results indicate significant elevated levels of A fumigatus specific IgG (A fumigatus-IgG) and P aeruginosa-IgE in serum. Significant P aeruginosa-IgG was measured in PBMC sups. The concanavalin A nonbinding A fumigatus antigen, previously shown to induce specific T-cell responses in vitro in patients with ABPA, elicited significant lymphoproliferative response in a greater proportion of patients with CF/ABPA and not in CF or controls, underlining the importance of this antigen in the diagnosis of ABPA. In contrast, a greater proportion of the CF group responded to P aeruginosa antigens compared with the controls and CF/ABPA. Hence, the CF and CF/ABPA groups respond to both P aeruginosa and A fumigatus antigens with the former group responding strongly to P aeruginosa and the latter to A fumigatus antigens.

Key Words: allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, Aspergillus antibodies • cystic fibrosis • Pseudomonas antibodies

Submitted on October 7, 1993
Accepted on December 7, 2007

This article has been cited by other articles:

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