Abstract
Numbers of peripheral lymphocytes and lymphocyte subpopulations were studied in 5 patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for acute leukemia (AL) or aplastic anemia (AA). Peripheral lymphocyte counts returned to normal level within a month after BMT in two of five patients, but did not return to normal until death (60, 78 and 69 days after BMT respectively) in the other three patients with AL.
The ratio of circulating T-cells detected by sheep red cell-rosetting techniques was normal in all patients. But imbalance of T-cell subsets was found out in either short-term survivors (No. 003 and 004) or a long-term survivor (No. 101). The data obtained were itemized as follows: 1) Ia-like antigen positive cells confirmed by indirect immuno fluorescent-staining techniques with use of rabbit antihuman B cell antibodies were increased in all patients. 2) Peanut-agglutinin receptor positive cells which were thought to be immature T-cells were present in high percentage. 3) IgM-Fc receptor positive cells (Tμ cells) were markedly decreased. 4) OKT4+T cells were decreased and OKT8+T cells were normal or above normal. As the results, the ratio of OKT4+/OKT8+ was inverted.
These results indicate that the imbalance of T-cell subsets might be one of the factors making patients immunodeficient following BMT. We consider that it should be an urgent problem to clarify the immune functions of these T-cell subsets.
