Establishment of peripheral lymphoid cell cultures from patients with Hodgkin's disease depending on Epstein-Barr-Virus-reactivity and cellular immunity.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from 43 patients with Hodgkin's disease were studied for spontaneous growth in longterm cultures in vitro. The rate of culture establishment in Hodgkin's patients was dependant on a positive Epstein-Barr-Virus (EBV)-seroreactivity and intact delayed hypersensitivity reaction to tuberculin. Localized and inactive disease, as well as the absence of atypical mononuclear cells in the peripheral blood had a favourable influence on the longterm in vitro growth. The overall establishment rate in Hodgkin patients was 18 out of 60 attempts (30%), 16 out of 34 (47%) in patients without treatment, only 2 out of 26 (7.7%) attempts during treatment. These results were compared with culture attempts of peripheral blood cells from healthy individuals and umbilical cord blood lymphocytes. Only 12 out of 60 attempts in healthy donors (18.2%) and 0 out of 49 attempts with umbilical cord blood lymphocytes were successful.