Lack of interaction of circulating T cells with phytohemagglutinin in bacillary positive untreated lepromatous leprosy patients--identification of subpopulation of lymphocytes by shifts in electrophoretic mobility.

Incubation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal healthy subjects with phytohamagglutinin (PHA), causes the reduction of the surface charge of a subpopulation of T cells by 1363 +/- 242 e.s.u./cm2. The affected subpopulation was predominantly the high charge-bearing cells identifiable with early (10 min) rosette-forming cells with sheep erythrocytes. Purified lymphocytes obtained from untreated bacillary-positive, lepromatous leprosy patients contained high charge-bearing T lymphocyte subpopulation. However, incubation with PHA did not result in the shift of electrophoretic mobility of these cells, suggesting the absence of interacting sites for the mitogen on the surface of these cells. The absence of mitogen-interacting sites is not an inherent trait of leprosy patients; the surface charge of lymphocytes from Dapsone-treated bacillary-negative subjects was reduced upon incubation with PHA. A close correlation was found between the number of cells whose charge alters on incubation with PHA and the transformation index obtained with this mitogen.

The effect of nutritional status on immune capacity and immune responses in preschool children in a rural community in India.

Cell-mediated immune response (CMI) and several aspects of humoral immune status and response were measured and related to nutritional status in preschool children in north India. CMI was measured by means of postvaccinal (BCG) tuberculin sensitivity and leucocytic blast cell transformation. Humoral immune response was measured by means of tetanus antibody production following vaccination with diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine. Immunoglobulins A, G, and M and complement (C(3)) were also determined. CMI, serum IgA, and C(3) were found to be directly correlated with weight-for-age status.