Re:Lymphocyte populations

From: Peter Chapple (peterc@petermac.unimelb.edu.au)
Date: Fri Aug 22 1997 - 03:25:46 EST


>I use a  FACScan along with Simulset software to enumerate T- lymphocyte subsets 
>on HIV positive patients. On a few occasions I have seen two distinct lymphocyte populations.
>On gating these populations, whether individually or together, the T+B+NK cells are much 
>lesser than the ideal 100%.
>Can someone give me some ideas as to why this is happening and how I can account 
>for the 'missing' cells.
>Thank you .
>Cheryl Palmer

Cheryl,

I have seen this sort of thing a few times and it has always been in the context of a
T cell lymphoproliferative disorder. The malignant clone of cells having a lower expression of
Eg: CD3; I saw a very nice example recently - a case of Sezary Syndrome with a separate population 
Of CD3+, CD4+ lymphoid cells which had distinctly less CD3 than the main group of T helpers (which
 had precisely the same level of CD3 expression as the CD3+, CD4- population on the CD3/CD4
 bivariate plot.

Flow is regarded as *usually not helpful* in T cell disorders - but in this case it was nice to be 
able to accurately determine the number of Sezary cells in the PB

Do your patients have known/suspect lymphoproliferative disorders ??

Regards

Peter Chapple
Melbourne AUSTRALIA



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