| Cellular and Humoral Immune Abnormalities in Gulf War Veterans Aristo Vojdani1 and Jack D. Thrasher2 1Section of Neuroimmunology, Immunosciences Lab. Inc., Beverly Hills, California, USA; 2Sam-1 Trust, Alto, New Mexico, USA Abstract
We examined 100 symptomatic Gulf War veterans (patients) and 100 controls for immunologic assays. The veterans and controls were compared for the percentage of T cells (CD3) ; B cells (CD19) ; helper:suppressor (CD4:CD8) ratio ; natural killer (NK) cell activity ; mitogenic response to phytohemagglutin (PHA) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) ; level of immune complexes ; myelin basic protein (MBP) and striated and smooth muscle autoantibodies ; and antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) , HSV-2, human herpes Type 6 (HHV-6) , and Varicella zoster virus (VZV) . The percentage of T cells in patients versus controls was not significantly different, whereas a significantly higher proportion of patients had elevated T cells compared with controls. The percentage of B cells was significantly elevated in the patients versus the controls. The NK cell (NK) activity was significantly decreased in the patients (24.8 ± 16.5 lytic units) versus the controls (37.3 ± 26.4 lytic units) . The percentage of patients with lower than normal response to PHA and PWM was significantly different from controls. Immune complexes were significantly increased in the patients (53.1 ± 18.6, mean ± SD) versus controls (34.6 ± 14.3) . Autoantibody titers directed against MBP and striated or smooth muscle were significantly greater in patients versus controls. Finally, the patients had significantly greater titers of antibodies to the viruses compared with the controls (p < 0.001) . These immune alterations were detected 2-8 years after participation in the Gulf War. The immune alterations are consistent with exposure to different environmental factors. We conclude that Gulf War syndrome is a multifaceted illness with immune function alterations that may be induced by various factors and are probably associated with chronic fatigue syndrome. Key words: autoantibodies, B cell, Gulf War syndrome, immune complexes, natural killer cell, T cell. Environ Health Perspect 112:840-846 (2004) . doi:10.1289/ehp.6881 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 17 February 2004]
Address correspondence to A. Vojdani, Immunosciences Lab. Inc., 8693 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 200, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 USA. Telephone: (310) 657-1077. Fax: (310) 657-1053. E-mail: drari@msn.com Portions of this study were presented by testimony of A.V. before the Senate Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs 16 November 1993 and the Presidential Special Oversight Board 19 October 1999. The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of the U.S. Army or U.S. government agencies. The authors declare a competing financial interest in that this study was conducted with no charge to the soldiers. Also, A.V. is a co-owner of the laboratory, and J.D.T. serves as a paid consultant. Received 28 November 2003 ; accepted 17 February 2004.
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