Presence of intracytoplasmic IgG in the lymphocytic infiltrates of the minor salivary glands of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.

The nature of the minor salivary gland B cell infiltrates in 13 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome was studied utilizing an immunoperoxidase staining technique. A group of 6 patients without primary Sjögren's syndrome undergoing lip biopsy for evaluation of dry mouth served as controls. The patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome, in contrast to the control group, were found to have a large percentage of cells containing intracytoplasmic IgG. This finding points to the minor salivary gland as a site of localization of the activated B cell in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.