Lymphocyte Subpopulations in Human Malnutrition: Cytotoxic and Suppressor Cells
- 1 March 1977
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in Pediatrics
- Vol. 59 (3) , 423-427
- https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.59.3.423
Abstract
Lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of young children with protein-calorie undernutrition were evalutated for surface markers and function. Thymus-dependent lymphocytes were reduced and the immunoglobulin-bearing B lymphocytes were unchanged. The relative proportion of the remaining "null" lymphoid cells was increased. Null cells and, to a lesser extent, B lymphocytes showed cytotoxic activity against xenogeneic target cells and suppressed phytohemagglutinin-induced DNA synthesis by normal T lymphocytes. It is suggested that these alterations in lymphoid subpopulations contribute to depressed cell-mediated immunity in malnutrition.Keywords
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