Studies of peripheral blood T-and B-lymphocytes in acute infections.

E-binding (T) and immunoglobulin-bearing (B) lymphocytes were determined in 22 patients with acute infections. The percentage of T-cells was depressed in most patients in the early stages of disease, whereas the B-cell proportion was usually elevated compared with convalescence and controls. The B-cell increase occurred earlier in a small group of viral or mycoplasmal infections than in bacterial infections. Four patients with unusually high numbers of B-cells had no corresponding increase in EAC3-binding lymphocytes. Almost all lymphocytes from pleural effusion in a patient with tuberculosis were found to be T-cells.