Pathological damage of lung in severe acute respiratory syndrome / 中华传染病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective We report the pathological features of lung in the dead patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Methods Post-mortem lung and pulomonary hilar lymph nodes tissues of 3 patients dead from SARS were studied by histology and immuhistochemistry with rabbit anti-Fas polyclonal antibody, mouse anti-PCNA, mouse anti- CD83,mouse anti-CD4 and mouse anti-CD8 monoclonal antibodies. Results The surface of lung from 3 cases were shown red or purplish red color. Histopathological examination showed that diffuse interstitial exudative or leakage inflammation and alveolar damages with a pronounced increase of of monocytes in the interval at various levels of progression and severity. There were hyaline-membrane formation, desquamation and apoptosis of type-2 pneumocytes in alveolar spaces. Fibrin thrombus and thrombo-embolism could be found in blood capillary and bronchial artery respectively. We observed some fibrin deposition in alveoli interval. No obviously giant-cell infiltrate within the alveolar lumen. The positive cell of proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was rare. Fas antigen were expressed in a lot of type-2 pneumocytes, monocytes of the interval and pulomonary hilar lymph nodes. Comparison with the lymph nodes of chronic inflammation, there were obviously disorganization and attenuation of lymphocyte in lymph nodes of SARS. The proportion of CD4 positive lymphocytes were rare, but CD83 and CD8 positive lymphocyte seemed no decreased, relatively. The seminal changes such as decreased lymphocytes ,white pulp atrophy,hemorrhage and necrosis,and decreased expression of lymphocytes for CD4 antigen could also observe in spleen. Conclusions Severe damages of lung and immunological system damages might lead to death of patients with SARS.