Abstract
Abstract
The in vitro reactivity of peripheral blood lymphocytes from burn patients to the T-cell mitogens phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (Con A) was studied. Sequential studies showed that responses to PHA were either normal or elevated while responses to Con A were below normal and decreased further over the course of time. Analyses of patients' responses revealed no patterns of reactivity of prognostic value. However, the differences in reactivity to the T-cell mitogens PHA and Con A support the hypothesis that thermal injury produces specific rather than general effects on the immune system and lend credence to the concept that burns may exert a preferential influence on functionally distinct subpopulations of lymphocytes.
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