CHARACTERIZATION OF IMMUNOREGULATORY T-CELLS DURING PREGNANCY BY MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 48  (1) , 118-120
Abstract
T lymphocyte subpopulations were characterized by means of monoclonal antibodies in 44 pregnant women at different stages of gestation and in 45 healthy controls. In the pregnant subjects, there is a small but significant reduction of the whole circulating T lymnphocytes and of their T helper subset identified respectively by OKT3 and OKT4 monoclonal antibodies. There is no influence of pregnancy on the proportions of T cytotoxic-suppressor cells (OKT8 positive) nor of lymphocytes bearing Ia antigen. Low counts of circulating cells with a thymocyte phenotype (OKT6 positive) are found in the 2 groups of subjects. Pregnancy apparently has a marginal effect on maternal immunocompetence.