Subpopulations of human T lymphocytes. XIII. T cell subpopulations (T mu and T gamma) in children with bronchial asthma.

Peripheral blood from children with bronchial asthma was examined for the proportions of T cells, T cells with receptors for IgM (T mu) or IgG (T gamma), and locomotion of T cells in the presence of chemoattractants casein and endotoxin-activated serum (EAS). Patients were divided into two groups: (A) children with asthma who were not taking any medication for at least 3--5 days prior to the study and (B) children who were taking aminophylline when this study was carried out. Proportions of T cells and T gamma cells in patients from both groups were comparable to age and sex matched controls. T mu cells in group A patients were comparable to those of the control group, but group B patients had significantly lower proportions of T mu cells when compared with those of controls and of patients in group A. Locomotion of T cells in the presence of casein and EAS was comparable in all three groups. The significance of these findings is discussed.