[Cytotoxic effect of antihuman thymocyte serum on T lymphocytes].

Abstract

The rabbit human thymocyte serum had a selective cytotoxicity on human T lymphocytes. In the presence of guinea pig complement, 23.8% of the otal blood leukocytes were killed by the heterologus antiserum and only 4.2 % were killed by normal rabbit serum. On average 28.2% of the leukocyte preparation obtained by dextran sedmentation were lymphocytes. According to the above figures, 72.3% of the circulating lymphocytes were identified as T cells. The data were comparable to those obtained from other conventional methods used in laboratory animals. The cytotoxicity test was found to be a reliable technique for identifying human T lymphocytes.