Immunopathology of ocular onchocerciasis. I. Inflammatory cells infiltrating the anterior segment

Clin Exp Immunol. 1989 Sep;77(3):367-72.

Abstract

Ocular tissue (conjunctiva and iris) was obtained from 12 adult African men with active ocular onchocerciasis and from nine age-matched persons from the same endemic region but without onchocercal infection. These tissues were examined immunohistologically and two major findings were noted. First, mild-to-moderate chronic inflammatory cellular infiltration was present in the conjunctiva of the onchocerciasis patients. T lymphocytes (CD3+) were the major inflammatory cells, and the T suppressor/cytotoxic (CD8+) subset was significantly increased in the ocular onchocerciasis patients (P less than 0.03). Second, in the onchocerciasis patients, non-lymphoid cells of the conjunctiva and iris, such as vascular endothelium, pericytes and fibroblasts were in an activated state, as shown by increased expression of Class II MHC antigens (P less than 0.02, conjunctiva; P less than 0.05, iris). These concomitant findings of lymphocyte infiltration and resident cell activation indicate a dynamic state of localized host responsiveness presumably to the microfilarial parasites and their products in the anterior segments of the eyes of patients with ocular onchocerciasis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • B-Lymphocytes
  • Conjunctiva / immunology*
  • Conjunctiva / pathology
  • Eye Diseases / etiology
  • Eye Diseases / immunology*
  • Eye Diseases / pathology
  • HLA-D Antigens / analysis
  • Humans
  • Iris / immunology*
  • Iris / pathology
  • Leukocyte Count
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Onchocerciasis, Ocular / immunology*
  • Onchocerciasis, Ocular / pathology
  • T-Lymphocytes*

Substances

  • HLA-D Antigens