Analysis of the Healthy Subject Response to Prolonged Contact with Tuberculosis Patients

Abstract

Prolonged contact of healthy subjects with Mycobacterium tuberculosis can change their blood formula and immune status, thus reflecting adaptive reactions to constant antigenic load. The peripheral blood analysis of health care workers in a tuberculosis hospital demonstrates changes in cell populations which prevent development of tuberculosis, in particular, CD⁴⁺ Т cells and CD³⁺ Т cells. It is shown that the number of the memory CD⁴⁺ Т cells specific to M.tuberculosis antigens which produce interferon gamma depends on the duration of work contact with tuberculosis patients. The use of health care workers' blood characteristics as a control for tuberculosis patients is discussed.