Peripheral blood T and B lymphocytes in patients with burns. I. Test parameters and clinical evaluation of the rosette assays

Rosetting techniques identifying receptors for sheep red blood cells, for Fc in antigen-antibody complexes (EA) and C₃ in antigen-antibody-complement complexes (EAC) were employed in the sequential evaluation of 10 normal individuals over an 8-week period and in the testing of burn patients' blood samples. Mean values with standard deviations were 59 ± 7 per cent or 959 ± 260 E rosettes, 34 ± 6 per cent or 500 ± 186 EA rosettes and 41 ± 7 or 657 ± 214 EAC rosettes. Variations in percentage results were attributed to the handling of rosetted cells for counting. Variations between samples from the same individual were similar to variations between samples from different individuals. Lymphocyte preparation of peripheral blood samples from burn patients resulted in red cell contamination of the separated lymphocytes. Ox red cell rosette assay and E and EAC percentages were used to evaluate samples from burn patients for non-rosetting cells or possible multiple reactive cells to explain diverse results obtained from these samples relative to normal control samples.