02162nas a2200325   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001700055653001800072653003100090653001700121653003100138653001100169653001100180653002500191653001200216653002100228653000900249653002500258100002000283700001600303700001600319700001400335245006000349300001000409490000700419050002300426520137300449022001401822       1999                            d  c1999 May10aCD4 Antigens10aCD4-CD8 Ratio10aCD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes10aCD8 Antigens10aCD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes10aFemale10aHumans10aImmunohistochemistry10aleprosy10aLymphocyte Count10aMale10aT-Lymphocyte Subsets1 aMahaisavariya P1 aKulthanan K1 aKhemngern S1 aPinkaew S00aLesional T-cell subset in leprosy and leprosy reaction.  a345-70 v38  aMAHAISAVARIYA 19993 a<p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>The T-cell-mediated immune response plays an important role in leprosy. The in situ proportion and pattern of distribution of T-cell subsets in leprosy skin lesions have been studied, but no conclusion could be drawn.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>We used monoclonal antibodies for T-helper and T-suppressor surface antigen to define the nature of dermal infiltration in 17 cases of nonreactional leprosy and 20 cases of reactional leprosy.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>We found T helper admixed with T suppressor in an aggregated pattern in the granulomas of most cases of nonreactional leprosy and in type I reactional leprosy, but a diffuse infiltrate throughout the dermis of type II reactional leprosy. The T-helper/suppressor ratio was 1.68 in tuberculoid and 1.5 in lepromatous cases. The T-helper/ suppressor ratios of borderline tuberculoid (3.11) and type I reactional leprosy (2.54) were not statistically different. The T-helper/suppressor ratio of type II reactional leprosy (5.83) was statistically higher than nonreactional lepromatous cases.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>The alteration of the T-helper/suppressor ratio in our study is mainly due to the reduction of T-suppressor cells in the dermal infiltrates, especially in type II reactional leprosy. Further studies of T-suppressor functions may be important in the pathogenesis of leprosy.</p>  a0011-9059