title: Frequency of tuberculin-reactive T-lymphocytes in pleural fluid and blood from patients with tuberculous pleurisy.
abstract: A limiting dilution assay was used to determine the frequency of T-lymphocytes reactive to purified protein derivative of tuberculin (PPD). Pleural fluid from patients with tuberculous pleurisy showed higher frequencies of PPD-reactive T-lymphocytes than peripheral blood from the same patients or tuberculin-positive healthy control subjects. The mean frequencies were 1/2,204 T cells in pleural fluid from tuberculous pleurisy, 1/14,970 T cells in peripheral blood from the same patients, and 1/13,130 T cells in peripheral blood from healthy controls. The concentration of tuberculin-reactive lymphocytes in tuberculous pleural fluid could represent selective accumulation or in situ expansion of this population of cell.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014373:Tuberculin / Q000276:immunology*; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D014396:Tuberculosis, Pleural / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D014373:Tuberculin