Stable T-cell population expressing an effector cell surface phenotype in the lungs of mice chronically infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Analysis of T-cell subsets accumulating in the lungs of C57BL/6 mice chronically infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed that both CD4 and CD8 T-cell populations expressed a cell surface phenotype consistent with that of effector T cells and that a significant proportion of these cells were in the process of secreting gamma interferon.