Effect of specific bacteria on lymphocyte proliferation in diseased and nondiseased tonsils

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Abstract
Tonsillar tissue lymphocyte (TTL) function as measured by lymphocyte proliferation was assessed in vitro in 38 tonsils–30 diseased and 8 normal controls. TTLs from diseased and control tonsils were challenged with intact, heat-inactivated bacteria which may be found in the core of diseased tonsils; these bacteria were Streptococcus pyogenes and Hemophilus influenzae type B (HIB), as well as the dominant bacterium (DB) grown from that particular tonsillar core. The phytomitogen leukoagglutinin (LA) was used as a nonspecific activator. Lymphocyte proliferation was quantified and reported using a stimulation index (SI) which was based upon viable cell counts at 2, 4, and 6 days following inoculation. Overall, the greatest degree of lymphocyte proliferation in diseased TTLs (SI = .91) was produced by HIB. However, both SP and HIB produced more lymphocyte proliferation in the nondiseased TTLs than in the diseased TTLs (P<.01). H influenzae (non-B) and group A β-hemolytic streptococci were the pathogens most frequently cultured as the dominant bacteria from the core of diseased tonsils; Streptococcus viridans was most frequently cultured in nondiseased tonsils. The DB caused greater TTL proliferation in diseased (SI = .89) versus control (SI = .63) TTLs (P<.001). These findings suggest a differential proliferative response in vitro for diseased and non-diseased TTLs in response to specific bacteria. The role of possibly pathogenic bacteria and commensals, as well as the implications for clinical disease, are discussed.