Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0043167 (pertussis)
 19,595 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Infectious laryngotracheitis results in fulminant respiratory distress. During the disease, the subglottic mucosa is selectively infected and swollen, the reason for this preference being unknown. Therefore, in the present study the immunoreaction of the laryngeal mucosa was studied in the rat after inhalation of either heat-killed Moraxella catarrhalis (PVG rats) or application of viable Bordetella pertussis (BN rats). The number of neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells, and T and B lymphocytes was determined in the mucosa of the supraglottic, glottic, and subglottic area of the larynx as well as in the trachea. After application of the pathogens, the mucosa of the subglottic area was significantly more affected than the glottic mucosa. Already 1 h after application of M. catarrhalis, not only neutrophils but also dendritic cells and T and B lymphocytes were found both subepithelially and within the epithelium. They showed a similar kinetic progression, although at a different level. Two hours after application of M. catarrhalis, at the peak of inflammation, dendritic cells (173 +/- 10 cells/0.1 mm2) outnumbered neutrophils (54 +/- 9 cells/0.1 mm2), T lymphocytes (25 +/- 2 cells/0.1 mm2), and B lymphocytes (4.3 cells/0.1 mm2). The subglottic area (and the trachea) contained about three to five times more cells than the glottic area. In contrast, the number of local macrophages was lower in the subglottic area (24 +/- 5 cells/0.1 mm2) compared with that of the glottic area (38 +/- 6 cells/0.1 mm2), and did not change after application of both M. catarrhalis and B. pertussis. Thus, infectious laryngotracheitis in the rat closely resembles the clinical picture in children. In addition, the present results show a major difference in cellular influx in the mucosa of the glottic and subglottic area. This demonstrates that even in two closely adjacent locations, inflammatory responses of different magnitudes can occur, and it underlines the importance of regulatory mechanisms specific for the respective microenvironment.
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PMID:Acute laryngitis in the rat induced by Moraxella catarrhalis and Bordetella pertussis: number of neutrophils, dendritic cells, and T and B lymphocytes accumulating during infection in the laryngeal mucosa strongly differs in adjacent locations. 1059 36

Clinically, the subglottic and glottic mucosae may react differently, eg, during acute laryngotracheitis. In healthy rats, we showed previously that the composition of the mucosal immune system of the larynx also differs between these areas. Neutrophils, lymphocytes, and dendritic cells (DCs) are part of this mucosal immune system. In particular, DCs occupy a key function. They migrate into inflamed mucosae during the early phase of the immune response, which is normally characterized by an influx of neutrophils. Thus, they help to overcome the time lag between the innate and the adaptive immune responses. In the present study, the influx of DCs, neutrophils, and T lymphocytes into the subglottic and glottic mucosae of rats was examined at different time points after challenge with a broad spectrum of stimuli such as dead Moraxella catarrhalis, viable Bordetella pertussis, viable Sendai virus, and the soluble protein ovalbumin. The number of DCs increased rapidly after the application of the antigens. This increase was as rapid as the increase in neutrophils. Depending on the kind of antigen, their number in the mucosa increased up to 1,000 cells per 0.1 mm2 (Sendai virus). The comparison of different mucosal areas shows that an overwhelming number of immunocompetent cells entered the subglottic mucosa, whereas only a few cells migrated into the adjacent glottic mucosa. In conclusion, after inhalation of different kinds of antigens, the subset of immunocompetent cells investigated in this study entered the laryngeal mucosa in high numbers. The number of DCs entering the laryngeal mucosa was higher than the numbers of the other immune cells investigated. This finding underlines their function as first-line sentinels of the mucosal immune system of the larynx. The observation that the number of cells entering the laryngeal mucosa is location-dependent indicates the ability of adjacent laryngeal regions to react differently. This is similar to the clinical observation of a selective subglottic reaction during acute laryngotracheitis.
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PMID:Dendritic cell influx differs between the subglottic and glottic mucosae during acute laryngotracheitis induced by a broad spectrum of stimuli. 1212 10