This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Scott M. Whitcup, MD; Rubens Belfort, Jr, MD; Marc D. de Smet, MD; Alan G. Palestine, MD; Robert B. Nussenblatt, MD; Chi-Chao Chan, MD

Arch Ophthalmol. 1991;109(7):978-979.

Abstract
• Specimens were obtained from two patients with culture-proven Propionibacterium acnes endophthalmitis who had undergone vitrectomy. Wright's and Giemsa stains were performed using cytospin preparations of the dilute vitreous and revealed a predominance of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (80% to 90%). The remaining inflammatory cells in the vitreous were mostly macrophages (10% to 15%); very few lymphocytes were present (<5%). Immunohistochemical studies using monoclonal antibodies confirmed the paucity of lymphocytes. Most lymphocytes were CD4+ helper/inducer T cells. Almost no CD8+ suppressor/cytotoxic T lymphocytes or B lymphocytes were found. The inflammatory response in these two patients is most characteristic of acute inflammation and consistent with an underlying bacterial infection, despite a clinical picture of persistent, low-grade inflammation. Infection with P acnes has been shown to inhibit CD8+ T cells and may play a role in the persistent inflammation in cases of P acnes endophthalmitis.

Author Affiliations
From the Laboratory of Immunology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication March 6, 1990.

Reprint requests to the National Eye Institute, Bldg 10, Room ION 202, Bethesda, MD 20892 (Dr Whitcup).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?