BackgroundAs a way to determine markers of infection or disease informing disease management, and to reveal disease-associated immune mechanisms, this study sought to measure antibody and T cell responses against key lung pathogens and to relate these to patients’ microbial colonization status, exacerbation history and lung function, in Bronchiectasis (BR) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).MethodsOne hundred nineteen patients with stable BR, 58 with COPD and 28 healthy volunteers were recruited and spirometry was performed. Bacterial lysates were used to measure specific antibody responses by ELISA and T cells by ELIspot. Cytokine secretion by lysate-stimulated T cells was measured by multiplex cytokine assay whilst activation phenotype was measured by flow cytometry.ResultsTypical colonization profiles were observed in BR and COPD, dominated by P.aeruginosa, H.influenzae, S.pneumoniae and M.catarrhalis. Colonization frequency was greater in BR, showing association with increased antibody responses against P.aeruginosa compared to COPD and HV, and with sensitivity of 73% and specificity of 95%. Interferon-gamma T cell responses against P.aeruginosa and S.pneumoniae were reduced in BR and COPD, whilst reactive T cells in BR had similar markers of homing and senescence compared to healthy volunteers. Exacerbation frequency in BR was associated with increased antibodies against P. aeruginosa, M.catarrhalis and S.maltophilia. T cell responses against H.influenzae showed positive correlation with FEV1% (r = 0.201, p = 0.033) and negative correlation with Bronchiectasis Severity Index (r = − 0.287, p = 0.0035).ConclusionOur findings suggest a difference in antibody and T cell immunity in BR, with antibody being a marker of exposure and disease in BR for P.aeruginosa, M.catarrhalis and H.influenzae, and T cells a marker of reduced disease for H.influenzae.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12931-018-0811-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundPigeon fanciers have a 1 in 10 risk of developing Pigeon Fancier’s Lung (PFL), a form of hypersensitivity pneumonitis due to inhaled pigeon antigens. This manifests as acute episodes of breathlessness, cough and fever after antigen exposure, which may progress to chronic dyspnoea and lung fibrosis. The precise disease mechanisms are unclear but both antibody and T cell responses specific for pigeon antigens are implicated. We wish to better understand immune responses against pigeon antigens in PFL to give new insight into the disease mechanisms and provide disease markers.MethodsWe studied the antibody and cellular immune response in fanciers attending pigeon shows. 77 completed a questionnaire of symptoms, performed spirometry and gave a blood sample, 32 of whom had symptoms of acute PFL. Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and serum were extracted from the blood, and T cell and antibody responses were measured against pigeon serum and mucin using in-house well-characterised assays (ELISA and ELIspot, respectively), as well as flow cytometry and multiplex cytokine assays. These provided quantitative outputs of specific antibody titre and reactive T cells per million PBMC, validated using positive controls. Correlations between immune responses and disease symptoms were analysed.ResultsAll fanciers examined had significant antibody and T cell responses against pigeon serum and/or pigeon mucin antigen. A range of antibody avidities and isotypes were observed (Figure 1; n = 37; 2012 cohort), but only IgA appeared to correlate with symptoms score (p = 0.012). T cell responses to pigeon serum were measured in the form of proliferating cells positive for lung-homing receptors (alpha4beta1 integrin), and secreting gamma-interferon and large amounts of anti-inflammatory interleukin 10; but did not correlate with symptoms.Abstract P57 Figure 1 ConclusionsPigeon fanciers have high levels of antigen exposure and demonstrate intense antibody and cellular immune responses, but these correlate minimally with clinical symptoms. The pathogenesis of PFL is complex and may involve an inflammatory cell-antibody axis.

Aerobic bacteria can colonize the female reproductive system with harmful effects, which may lead to miscarriages, premature deliveries or continue of its growing to cause adverse reproductive systems issues. Increasing in the levels of inflammatory markers may be considered a herald of danger. High vaginal swabs were obtained from 85 women. Of these, 67 patients were suffering recurrent vaginitis and symptoms such as itching, irritation, burning, and vaginal discharged, and 18 apparently healthy controls. Swabs were cultured in a suitable media and the cultivated bacteria were diagnosed in the hospital’s laboratory. At the same time of collecting the vaginal swabs, 5 ml of venous blood was withdrawn from the patients and controls. An ELISA method was applied to measure the levels of inflammatory cytokines and concentration of vitamin D. The bacterial growth showed six species of isolated bacteria, which were Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., E. coli, S. non aureus, Proteus spp. and Klebsiella spp. The first three species were the most prevalent bacteria, and the serum levels of C reactive protein (CRP) and IL-6 were high in female patients infected with these bacteria. CRP was significantly elevated in sera of the patient’s group (P= 0.016), while the increase in IL-6 was not significant. Vitamin D was correlated negatively with IL-6 and positively with CRP, but the correlations did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion, rising of CRP could be an expected result to the bacterial colonizing the reproductive system while IL-6 may develop significantly when the aerobic vaginitis continues until triggering one of the infertility issues.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune metabolic disorder characterized by the destruction of pancreatic β-cells due to the autoimmune reactions of autoreactive T-cells and autoantibodies. The present study aimed to investigate the association between the levels of connecting peptide (C-peptide), and several biochemical and immunological markers in patients with T1DM treated with insulin. For this purpose, a total of 5 ml venous blood was collected from 44 patients with T1DM and 28 healthy volunteers. Relevant clinical examinations were carried out. The contents of C-peptide, IL-4 and IL-5 were determined using the corresponding ELISA kits. The normal ranges for liver and renal function tests were set for both patients and controls. The results revealed that the mean concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) was higher in patients with T1DM compared with healthy controls. However, the difference was not statistically significant. In addition, the levels of IL-5 were decreased in patients with T1DM compared with healthy individuals. No statistically significant correlation was observed between the levels of C-peptide and cytokines with the exception of IL-4 in healthy volunteers, which were positively correlated with those of C-peptide. Overall, the results demonstrated that the low C-peptide levels in patients with T1DM were not associated with the measured parameters. However, patients with T1DM could still be at high risk of developing pathological complications due to the enhanced levels of glucose and H 2 O 2 , and the decreased levels of IL-5.