title: Changes in lymphocyte subsets with age in perinatal cats: late gestation through eight weeks.
abstract: The age-related changes in numbers and proportions of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets (pan-T, CD4, CD8, Ig, and null) were evaluated by two-color flow cytometry in 16 feline fetuses (56-58 days gestational age) and 21 kittens from birth through 8 weeks of age. Populations of pan-T+, CD4+, and CD8+ cells increased in total numbers as a function of increases in total lymphocyte numbers while proportions of these subsets remained relatively static. In contrast, both the total number and proportion of Ig+ cells increased from birth to 4 weeks of age, after which there were essentially no changes. Null (pan-T-, Ig-) cells were highest during late gestation and declined steadily thereafter to become a minimal component of the peripheral lymphocyte subsets. Compared with normal adult values, CD4/CD8 ratios were high throughout the 8 week study period. These results illustrate that the neonatal cat blood lymphocyte profile undergoes maturational changes and emphasize the importance of evaluating age-matched controls in studies of conditions that may alter feline lymphocyte subsets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Companion Animal and Special Species, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27606, USA.
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Sellon
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Gebhard
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Tompkins
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Tompkins
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio / Q000662:veterinary; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D002415:Cats; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy