ENUMERATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF HUMAN LEUKEMIC LYMPHOCYTES BY THEIR NATURAL BINDING OF BACTERIA

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 37  (6) , 1715-1718
Abstract
The recently described property of bacteria to bind to human lymphocytes was used to distinguish between normal and chronic leukemic lymphocyte (CLL) populations. Strains of the following bacteria were used in this study: Arizona hinshawii, Escherichia coli strains 1 and 2, Bacillus globigii, Brucella melitensis, Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains 1 and 2, Corynebacterium xerosis, Sarcina lutea, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. For identification of immunoglobulin-bearing lymphocytes, a strain of E. coli that did not bind to human lymphocytes was coated with antihuman light chain antibody. Labeling of lymphocytes with bacteria was promoted by centrifugation. In the 8 CLL patients studied, in which > 90% of the lymphocytes were leukemic cells, 52-77% were labeled by antihuman light chain antibody-E. coli, 80-93% were labeled by B. melitensis and 78-95% were labeled by E. coli 1 compared to 11-24, 11-22 and 30-44%, respectively, in normal individuals. B. melitensis, E. coli 1 and the antihuman light chain antibody-E. coli may have diagnostic value for CLL. The percentage of the lymphocyte population that bound each of the other bacteria varied from patient to patient. Preliminary results obtained by studying the pattern of binding of E. coli 2, B. globigii, S. lutea or S. aureus by leukemic lymphocytes suggest that categories of CLL patients may be distinguished by this method.