Novel Abnormality in Subpopulations of Circulating Lymphocytes

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A patient, who had developed anergy after disseminated histoplasmosis and who had gone on to develop a cardiomyopathy, demonstrated an unusually large proportion of T lymphocytes bearing the γ and δ chains of the T cell resceptor (TCR-γ/δ). These γδ+ cells composed over half of the circulating lymphocytes and were clearly divisible into two subgroups based on the level of expression of the γ and δ chains and their ability to bind one of the monoclonal antibodies reactive with the TCR-δ chain. In addition, the patient showed an abnormally high proportion of circulating lymphocytes having the CD2––, 3+, 4––, 8–– phenotype which has been only recently described. The pattern of lymphocyte subpopulations changed over the 9 years that the patient was followed since his original infection and appears to characterize a novel abnormality.