Antibodies for T lymphocytes in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Sera of twenty-four patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were evaluated for antibodies cytotoxic for autologous lymphocytes. Such antibodies were domenstrable in twenty-two of these sera, whereas only one out of twenty patients with other connective tissue or lymphoproliferative disease showed a positive test. The antibodies remained detectable even when the patients went into remission. Sera containing the lymphocytotoxic antibodies were tested on cell fractions enriched for T or B lymphocytes. Primarily T lumphocytes wree affected by these antibodies. The presence of antibodies cytotoxic for T lymphocytes corresponded with a deficit of circulating T lymphocytes observed in most of our patients with systemic lupus erythematosys.