Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome: separation of human peripheral blood T and B cells and detection of viral antigen.

Total lymphocytes in peripheral blood were prepared from patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome by a density gradient on Ficoll-Hypaque, and then T and B cells purified by passing the lymphocytes over a nylon column with modifications. Also, after modification of cell fixation and use of a spinner for smear drying, the number of cells were increased and the duration for slide preparation was shortened, thus resulting in quality slides. Detection of viral antigen by immunofluorescence assay using monoclonal antibodies to Hantavirus (HTNV) showed that the total lymphocytes, T cells and B cells were infected with HTNV during the early stages of the illness and no specific fluorescence was seen in the cells from the late diuretic phase to convalescent phase.