HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:
Guest Access | Sign In via User Name/Password

This Article Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Personal Article Archive Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (26) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Suda, T. Articles by Sato, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Suda, T. Articles by Sato, A.

Development of Bronchus-Associated Lymphoid Tissue in Chronic Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis^*

^* From the 2nd Division of Internal Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine (Drs. Suda, Chida, Hayakawa, Imokawa, Iwata, Nakamura), Hamamatsu, and Kyoto Preventive Medical Center (Dr. Sato), Kyoto, Japan.

Study objectives: Bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) is well defined in animals. In humans, however, BALT has been reported to be inducible under pathologic conditions, such as chronic respiratory infection, although it is not present in healthy adults. Thus, induced BALT is considered to be involved in the mucosal immunity of the human lung under these conditions. However, there have been few studies to investigate BALT development in hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The aim of this study was to examine the presence of BALT in hypersensitivity pneumonitis, especially in its chronic form.

Methods: The subjects included five patients with chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (CHP) diagnosed from clinical and histologic findings. We investigated histologically the development of BALT in these patients. Further, the cellular distribution of BALT was also examined by immunohistochemistry.

Results: BALT was present in three of five patients with CHP. Immunohistochemical examination revealed the follicular area of BALT to be composed mainly of B cells, while the parafollicular area comprised predominantly T cells. Centroblasts located in the germinal center of BALT expressed Ki-67 antigen, a marker of cell proliferation, suggesting that these cells were actively proliferating after antigenic stimulation. Cells expressing bcl-2, which is present primarily on memory B cells, were confined to the follicular area, devoid of any germinal centers. S-100-positive, CD1a-negative interdigitating dendritic cells were observed in the dome area of BALT.

Conclusions: These observations suggest that chronic antigenic stimulation and/or inflammation in CHP may cause BALT development, which, in turn, is likely to play an important role in the mucosal immune response of this disease.

Key Words: BALT • bronchus-associated lymphoid tissues • hypersensitivity pneumonitis

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Tsegaye, P. Villamena, A. Hegde, and Y. J. Chang 27 year old female with Common Variable Immunodeficiency, recurrent pneumonia and endobronchial "cobblestoning" due to bronchus associated lymphoid tissue Chest Meeting Abstracts, October 1, 2004; 126(4): 927S - 927S. [Abstract] [PDF]

				F. T. Coleman, S. Mueschenborn, G. Meluleni, C. Ray, V. J. Carey, S. O. Vargas, C. L. Cannon, F. M. Ausubel, and G. B. Pier Hypersusceptibility of cystic fibrosis mice to chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa oropharyngeal colonization and lung infection PNAS, February 18, 2003; 100(4): 1949 - 1954. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. M. Schwartzstein and E. J. Mark Case 27-2000- A 61-Year-Old Man with Rapidly Progressive Dyspnea N. Engl. J. Med., August 31, 2000; 343(9): 642 - 649. [Full Text] [PDF]