Abstract
Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response is recognized as one of the essential parts of the host defense against dermatophyte infections. T cell-derived cytokines (IFN-γ, GM-CSF, IL-2) are involved in the elicitation of the DTH response. We previously demonstrated that IFN-γ, IL-2 and GM-CSF were released by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with non-chronic dermatophyte infection, suggesting the involvement of these cytokines in eradication of the dermatophytes from the stratum corneum of the skin. We also showed that the production of IFN-γ in response to stimulation with trichophytin was depressed in the PBMC obtained from patients who had chronic dermatophyte infection, when compared with that in the PBMC obtained from non-chronically infected patients. It is possible that decreased release of cytokines at the site of infection might explain the inability of chronically infected patients to eradicate dermatophytes from the skin.
