Studies on alveolar lymphocyte proliferation induced by Propionibacterium acnes in sarcoidosis Part 2. Correlation between local lymphocyte response and clinical features in sarcoidosis

Alveolar lymphocyte response by Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) in patients with active sarcoidosis was previously reported by our group. The response of alveolar lymphocytes in 34 untreated patients with sarcoidosis was studied in correlation with clinical findings on radiographic, physiologic and bronchoalveolar lavage. There was a significant correlation between lymphocyte blastogenesis and the number of lymphocytes (p<0.05), and CD4(＋) T-cells (p<0.01) obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage. Furthermore, the response was significantly correlated with the activity of Interleukin-2 released by alveolar lymphocytes stimulated by P. acnes (p<0.05). In patients who showed abnormalities on all three clinical examinations, i. e. serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity, number of alveolar lymphocytes and 67Ga scintigraphy of the lung, the response was significantly higher than in the controls (p<0.001) or in patients with none of these abnormalities (p<0.01). These data suggest that the response of alveolar lymphocytes reflects the activity of pulmonary sarcoidosis.

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