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Peripheral blood lymphocytes have been investigated in 20 newly diagnosed type-I diabetics and 10 healthy subjects using monoclonal antibodies. Mononuclear cells were marked with anti-T-lymphocytes (Leu2, 3, 4, 12) and anti-Ia-antibodies (K14, L243) using indirect immunofluorescence. The percentage of circulating K14- and L243-positive cells was significantly higher in all diabetics than in normal controls. An increase in the number of K14-bearing cells was found in newly diagnosed patients with duration of less than 7 days (n = 10) compared with diabetics of longer duration (1 to 8 months; n = 10). Using dual-color immunofluorescence with fluorescein-conjugated anti-T-lymphocytes and rhodamin-conjugated anti-Ia-antibodies it was not possible to identify Ia-antigen bearing cells (Ia cells) as helper or suppressor lymphocytes. In addition, there was no significant difference in the number of Ia cells in diabetics with and without islet cell antibodies. It is concluded that there is evidence of activation of cellular immune response in type I diabetes, particularly in the early days of manifestation. However, previous assumptions that Ia cells represent T-cell activation have to be questioned.

In 36 HIV seropositive patients with the clinical manifestation of AIDS and a suspected Pneumocystis carinii infection, lymphocyte subpopulations were analyzed in the peripheral blood (PBL) and compared with the results of the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Of those 36 patients, 29 showed a highly abnormal CD4/CD8 ratio in both the PBL and the BAL. The clinical course of these 29 patients was unpredictable. In seven patients, however, the CD4/CD8 ratio in the BAL was normal or only slightly altered, despite a highly abnormal CD4/CD8 ratio in the PBL. Five of these seven patients improved greatly during the clinical course. The positive outcome of the clinical course was even more strongly correlated with the number of macrophages in the BAL. Twelve of the 36 patients showed normal or only slightly changed numbers of macrophages in the BAL. Eleven of these twelve patients (92%) improved rapidly during antibiotic therapy, while the clinical course was unpredictable in patients with markedly reduced macrophage counts in the BAL.

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