RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Expansion of CCR5+ CD4+ T-lymphocytes in the course of active pulmonary tuberculosis JF European Respiratory Journal JO Eur Respir J FD European Respiratory Society SP 638 OP 643 DO 10.1183/09031936.04.000105403 VO 24 IS 4 A1 M.B. Santucci A1 M. Bocchino A1 S.K. Garg A1 A. Marruchella A1 V. Colizzi A1 C. Saltini A1 M. Fraziano YR 2004 UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/24/4/638.abstract AB Nonsyncytium inducing, macrophage tropic HIV strains predominate in the course of active tuberculosis (TB). The present study assesses the expression of CCR5 in CD4+ T-lymphocytes from blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of TB patients, non-TB lung disease controls and healthy controls. Memory (CD45RO+), recently activated (CD69+), proliferating (Ki67+) CCR5+ or CCR3+ CD4+ T-lymphocytes were determined by multiparametric flow cytometry analysis. Results show that BAL CD4+ T-lymphocytes expressing CCR5 or CCR3 were significantly increased when compared to peripheral blood both in patients and in healthy controls. However, the data show that the proportions of peripheral blood CCR5+ CD4+ and CCR3+ CD4+ T-lymphocytes and BAL CCR5+ CD4+ T-lymphocytes, but not BAL CCR3+ CD4+ T-lymphocytes, were significantly increased in TB patients. Furthermore, the observation that BAL CCR5+ CD4+ T-lymphocytes from TB patients expressed early activation markers, were not proliferating and showed down-regulation of CCR5 expression suggests recruitment and trapping at the site of disease. Altogether, these results suggest that the lower respiratory tract mucosa may provide cellular targets accessible for efficient transmission of macrophage tropic HIV-1 variants and that tuberculosis may enhance this phenomenon. The present study was supported in part by Italian Ministry of University (MIUR 60%) and by the IV Research Program on AIDS (Grant N. 50D.05) of the Italian Institute ofHealth. S.K. Garg was supported by a UNESCO-ROSTE study fellowship.