Surface markers on lymphocytes of patients with infectious diseases.

PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES FROM NORMAL SUBJECTS AND PATIENTS WITH VIRAL AND BACTERIAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES WERE EXAMINED FOR THE PRESENCE OF THREE SURFACE MARKERS: (i) surface immunoglobulins, (ii) receptor for C3 complement component (EAC test), and (iii) spontaneous binding of sheep red blood cells (E rosette formation). The first two markers are used to detect bone marrow-derived lymphocytes (B cells); the E rosette formation is dependent on thymus-derived lymphocytes (T cells). We demonstrated these assumptions, as defined by others, by the fractionation of lymphocytes on bead columns coated with immunoglobulin plus anti-immunoglobulin. The peripheral blood lymphocytes of normal individuals consisted of 52% T cells, 23% B cells with EAC receptor, and 21% B cells with membrane immunoglobulin. There was no significant difference in these values from those obtained in viral or bacterial diseases. Only a few cases of infectious mononucleosis had an increase in T cells. These results give us a partial picture of the T- and B-cell frequency in normal subjects and in patients with infectious diseases.