Conditions That Cause Lymphocytosis

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is an infection caused by a bacterium called mycobacterium tuberculosis. This type of infection usually has the biggest effect on the lungs but may cause problems in other parts of the body as well. Tuberculosis is highly contagious through contact with an affected individual's saliva particles in a sneeze, cough, or spit. Tuberculosis can last for between six and nine months with appropriate medical intervention. Tuberculosis is arbitrated by lymphocytes called CD4 T lymphocytes. Phagocytes cannot mediate this type of infection on their own because mycobacterium tuberculosis can grow in the vacuoles of phagocytes. CD4 T lymphocytes and CD8 lymphocytes are summoned to the scene to help eliminate tuberculosis bacteria as an alternative. The highest number of lymphocytes present in the body during a tuberculosis infection occurs within the first few weeks of a patient's illness. Other than the evasive nature of the bacteria that causes this infection, the mechanism of increased numbers of lymphocytes in the body from tuberculosis is not entirely clear. Only some patients who contract this infection will experience elevated levels of lymphocytes in their body, as the condition does not form in all tuberculosis patients.

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Chagas Disease

Chagas disease is a parasitic infection caused by the parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, which is native to Latin America. Chagas disease is contagious and can be spread through a bite from a triatomine bug, contaminated food, organ donation, blood transfusion, or from mother to an unborn child during pregnancy. Symptoms that may manifest in affected individuals include fever, body aches, appetite loss, vomiting, swollen eyelid, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, and a rash. The symptoms of Chagas disease usually last anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, but the pathogen stays in the body for decades without treatment. This parasite causes an immune response in the body that is variable and complex in comparison to other pathogens and parasites. The levels of lymphocytes become unbalanced in the immunity involved organs during this infection, with different levels in the spleen, thymus, and blood. These imbalances are attributed to the different rates of expansion of lymphocytes in each respective organ. The rate of lymphocyte expansion in the blood, spleen, and thymus are dictated by the production of cytokines in each organ and rate of cell apoptosis. It is also suggested that individuals with Chagas disease have trouble clearing out antigen-specific lymphocytes, which can also contribute to the development of lymphocytosis.

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