Subsets of tonsillar lymphocytes and activated cells in each subset analysed by two-color flow cytometry.

We analysed subsets of tonsillar lymphocytes and activated cells in each subset by two-color flow cytometry. There were many helper T cells (CD 4+ leu 8-) and few inducer T cells (CD 4+ leu 8+) in the tonsil. The situation was the reverse in the peripheral blood. The tonsil had few suppressor T cells (CD 8+ CD 11+). The proportion of activated cells (HLA-DR+) was low in the peripheral blood and high in the tonsil. In the tonsil, the ratio of cells with transferrin receptors to total lymphocytes was higher in the B than in the T subset, and higher in the subset of CD 4+ than in that of CD 8+ cells. Activated and proliferating lymphocytes were more abundant in the tonsils of children than in those of adults and more abundant in patients with hyperplastic tonsillitis than in those with recurrent tonsillitis.