Publication

Abstract : Background  The pathogenesis of post‐kala‐azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is ill understood. This study was carried out to find the percentage of T‐helper and T‐suppressor cells in lesional tissue and their probable role in the pathogenesis of PKDL.Methods  An immunoperoxidase monoclonal antibody technique was used to characterize and quantify the subsets of T lymphocytes in the infiltrate in 25 patients with PKDL.Results  The ratio of T‐helper to T‐suppressor cells was 0.87 in hypopigmented macules and 0.85 in nodule and/or plaque lesions of PKDL.Conclusions  In this study, there was a definite preponderance of T‐suppressor cells over T‐helper cells in both types of skin lesions of PKDL. Further studies should be undertaken on larger numbers of patients to compare T‐cell subsets both in skin lesions and the circulation, in order to determine the pathogenesis of PKDL.