T-lymphocyte subsets in healthy splenectomised patients.

In 16 normal subjects who underwent splenectomy for traumatic reasons, the T-lymphocyte number (E rosette positive cells) and the proportion of T-cell subsets were assessed on peripheral blood T-lymphocytes. The findings, compared with not splenectomised normal controls, showed other than an increase in the absolute number of T-lymphocytes, mainly a significant increase of T gamma cells (21% +/- 5 vs 13% +/- 4) and a less marked decrease of T mu cells (38.7% +/- 7 vs 51.8% +/- 12). Probably this increase in T gamma cells is irrelevant on the immune response and represents only the effect of the redistribution of T-cell subsets after splenectomy. Alternatively, splenectomy, removing most of the lymphocytes that respond to antigenic stimulation, and, producing an increase in T gamma cells, may contribute to the development of an impaired B-cell response and sometimes to the development of severe infections which occur mainly in splenectomised children.