RESUMO
To determine the relation and the possible significance of peripheral blood T-cell subsets and PHA blastogenesis to various clinical manifestations of Giardiasis, 20 symptomatic, 27 asymptomatic and 18 apparently healthy individuals of matched age and sex were included in this study. Functional analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of asymptomatic Giardia lambia-infection as measured by 3H-thymidine uptake in response to PHA mitogen was significantly inhibited as compared to symptomatic cases of Giardiasis and reference subject groups. On the other hand, phenotypic analysis of the T-lymphocyte subsets showed that CD4+, CD8+, as well as CD4+/CD8+ ratio of asymptomatic, symptomtatic Giardiasis and control groups to be statistically not different from each other. The results suggested a possible role of cell mediated immunity in clearing Giardia lamblia- infection, i.e. development of asymtomatic cases. Meanwhile, the results of the present work showed a defective correlation between peripheral T-lymphocyte subsets and clinical manifestations, i.e. asymptomatic Giardiasis