Impaired resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection after selective in vivo depletion of L3T4+ and Lyt-2+ T cells.

The resistance of mice against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection after selective in vivo depletion of L3T4+ and Lyt-2+ T cells was studied. Thymectomized mice were treated with rat monoclonal antibodies against the L3T4 or Lyt-2 molecule to selectively eliminate the respective T-cell subset. In b...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Müller, I, Cobbold, S, Waldmann, H, Kaufmann, S
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 1987
Description
Summary:The resistance of mice against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection after selective in vivo depletion of L3T4+ and Lyt-2+ T cells was studied. Thymectomized mice were treated with rat monoclonal antibodies against the L3T4 or Lyt-2 molecule to selectively eliminate the respective T-cell subset. In both L3T4+ and Lyt-2+ T-cell-depleted mice, resistance against subsequent infection with M. tuberculosis was markedly impaired compared with that in untreated controls, with L3T4+ T-cell-depleted mice showing more pronounced effects. Simultaneous depletion of L3T4+ and Lyt-2+ T cells did not further exacerbate infection. These findings suggest that both L3T4+ and Lyt-2+ T cells are involved in the acquisition of resistance against tuberculosis.