ABNORMAL CILIA IN POLYNESIANS WITH BRONCHIECTASIS

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 121  (6) , 1003-1010
Abstract
Bronchial or nasal ciliated epithelium from 13 patients with bronchiectasis (12 Polynesians and 1 European) was examined by EM. All cilia lacked dynein arms. In 2 patients this was the only abnormality observed, but in the others various ciliary abnormalities were present, including cilia with missing tubules, extra tubules, misplaced tubules compound cilia, intracytoplasmic cilia, vesiculated cilia, vesiculated cilia and cilia with long winglike folds. In all patients pulmonary mucociliary transport rates were absent or markedly reduced. Apparently these abnormalities were due to a mutation or group of mutations, which was the underlying cause of the bronchiectasis.

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