Quantitation of Circulating T and B Lymphocytes in Children with Whooping Cough

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Abstract
Extract: The numbers of circulating T and B lymphocytes in seven children with whooping cough due to Bordetella pertussis and eight control subjects were determined. All the children with whooping cough had an absolute lymphocytosis (mean 29,142/mm3 vs. 5,225/mm3) and by surface marker criteria both T cells and B cells were increased (mean T cells, whooping cough 15,794/mm3 vs. 3,516/mm3 controls; mean B cells, 13,393/mm3 whooping cough vs. 1,706/mm3 controls). However, the ratios of T cells to B cells in the whooping cough (1.4) and control group (1.9) did not differ significantly. This proportional increase in both T and B lymphocytes indicates that whatever mechanisms are responsible for lymphocytosis in B. pertussis infection affect both populations in a similar manner. Speculation: Lymphocytosis in children with whooping cough results, primarily, from B. pertussis-induced blockage of T and B cell re-entry into lymph nodes from the blood. The profound effect of B. pertussis on lymphocyte recirculation patterns might be of value in future attempts at “immunologic engineering.”

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