title: Lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood and pleural fluid.
abstract: We have examined the distribution of B and T lymphocytes, T-cells with helper/inducer (T4+) or suppressor/cytotoxic (T8+) phenotypes and a subset of cells with natural killer (NK) activity and positive for the Leu 7 (HNK-1) surface antigen in peripheral blood and in lymphocyte-rich pleural effusions of patients with tuberculosis or malignancies (mesothelioma and lung cancer with pleural metastasis). In individual patients, the percentages of T lymphocytes were uniformly higher in pleural effusions than in peripheral blood; however, lower percentages of B lymphocytes and cells positive for the Leu 7 antigen were present in pleural fluids. The analysis of T-cell subpopulations demonstrated a selective enrichment of T lymphocytes with helper/inducer phenotype in pleural effusions, while the percentages of T-cells with suppressor/cytotoxic phenotype were similar in pleural fluid and peripheral blood. These results indicate that in lymphocytic pleural effusions the main lymphoid cell population is represented by T lymphocytes with helper/inducer phenotype, regardless of whether the effusion is due to tuberculosis or malignancies such as mesothelioma or lung cancer.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Medicina Clinica, University of Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lucivero
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pierucci
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonomo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000276:immunology*; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification*; D014396:Tuberculosis, Pleural / Q000276:immunology*