Immunophenotyping characteristic of the major lymphocyte populations and subpopulations in patients during salmonella infection

AIM: To study the quantitative changes in the major lymphocyte populations and subpopulations in the peripheral blood of patients during salmonellosis and find correlations of these changes with disease severity and bacterial clearance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 24 adult patients with culture-proven gastrointestinal salmonellosis. Flow-cytometry was used to identify CD19+ (B lymphocytes), CD2+ (total T lymphocytes), CD3(+)CD4+ (helper T cells), CD3(+)CD8+ (suppressor/cytotoxic T lymphocytes), CD4(+)CD29+ and CD4(+)CD45(-)RA+ (helper/ inducer subpopulation and naive Tlymphocytes) in the acute and the convalescent phases of disease. The absolute number and percentage of cells in 1 microl of peripheral blood were also determined. Immunophenotype analysis was conducted on an EPICS XL-MCL flow cytometer, Coulter, USA using monoclonal antibodies produced by the same firm. RESULTS: T and B lymphocytes and the immunocompetent T cells were slightly decreased transiently in the acute phase of the disease. Helper T lymphocytes were slightly increased with a significant increase observed of helper/inducer cells and decrease of the naive T lymphocytes. CONCLUSION: The increase of B lymphocytes at the height of salmonellosis bears additionally a diagnostic significance in determining the severity of the disease while the increase of the helper T lymphocytes can be a prognostic marker of early bacterial clearance.