Beryllium-specific T cells drive lung disease
Saltini and colleagues found that in chronic beryllium disease, beryllium acts as an antigen that makes beryllium-specific CD4+ helper T cells multiply and build up in the lungs, so the disease is a hypersensitivity reaction to beryllium.
As reported in: Saltini, Winestock, Kirby et al. (1989). Maintenance of Alveolitis in Patients with Chronic Beryllium Disease by Beryllium-Specific Helper T Cells. New England Journal of Medicine. doi:10.1056/nejm198904273201702
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