[Effect of the method on the results of determining T-cell subpopulations].

Two methods of determining lymphocyte subpopulations were compared on samples obtained from 18 healthy blood donors and 16 HIV-positive patients. In the whole-blood method directly marked monoclonal antibodies were used, whereas Ficoll-separated mononuclear cells were assayed indirectly. The number of CD4-positive helper cells was significantly lower in both groups in the whole-blood test, but that of CD8-positive suppressor cells significantly increased after Ficoll separation. In HIV-infected patients the values for CD8-positive lymphocytes were even further apart than in the healthy donors. As a result the difference in the ratio CD4/CD8 was higher in HIV-infected patients (0.3 vs 0.65; P less than 0.001) than in the healthy donors (1.35 vs 1.8; P less than 0.001).