Activated HLA-DR+CD38+ Effector Th1/17 Cells Distinguish Crohn’s Disease-associated Perianal Fistulas from Cryptoglandular Fistulas

Perianal fistulas are a debilitating complication of Crohn's disease (CD). Due to unknown reasons, CD-associated fistulas are in general more difficult to treat than cryptoglandular fistulas (non-CD-associated). Understanding the immune cell landscape is a first step towards the development of more effective therapies for CD-associated fistulas. In this work, we characterized the composition and spatial localization of disease-associated immune cells in both types of perianal fistulas by high-dimensional analyses.