All issues > Volume 32(9); 1989

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1989;32(9):1248-1258. Published online September 30, 1989.

A Study on Periphral T Cell Subsets in Asymptomatic HBsAg Carriers and Children with Chronic Hepatitis B and Hepatitis B vaccine Inoculated Infants.

Hee Joo Jeon¹, Chan Yung Kim¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea

Received: February 25, 1989;  Accepted: April 20, 1989.

Abstract

To elucidate the characteristics of immunoregulatory system of children with chronic active hepatitis B and hepatitis B vaccine inoculated infant, the authors examined T cell subsets of the peripheral blood in 16 children with asymptomatic HBsAg carriers, 19 children with chronic hepatitis B (11 chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH) and 8 chronic active hepatitis (CAH) and 21 hepatitis B vaccine inoculated infants as well as 6 healthy children and 13 healthy infants control with matched age. Diagnoses were confirmed histopathologically by biopsy or clinically by liver function tests, clinical history and physical examination. All HBsAg carriers and patients with CAH were positive for serum HBeAg. Of 11 patients with CPH, seven cases were postive for serum HBeAg and four cases were negative for serum HBeAg. In hepatitis B vaccine inoculated subjects, 18 cases were positive for serum anti-HBs and three cases were negative for serum anti-HBs at 8 months after first injection of vaccine. Blood samples were obtained from vein of children during the period from January, 1986 to June, 1988. Total lymphocyte counts of the peripheral blood were performed on Counter Coulter S-plus II antomatic counter. Enumeration of T cell subsets were performed by indirect immunofluorescent
method
, using monoclonal antibodies, T3, T4 and T8 of Coulter products. Serum HBsAg and HBeAg were detected by RIA using Auria 11-125 and HBe kit of Abbott products. The results were summarized as follows: 1) The counts of total lymphocyte and T3, T4 and T8 cells in peripheral blood were significantly decreased in asymptomatic HBsAg carriers and tended to be decreased in chronic hepatitis as compared with control subjects. 2) The percentage of T3 cells was significantly decreased in asymptomatic HBsAg carriers and chronic hepatitis as compared with control subjects. 3) The percentage of T4 cells was significantly decreased in the chronic hepatitis and tended to be decreased in asymptomatic HBsAg carrier as compared with control subjects. 4) The percentage of T8 cells was significantly increased in chronic active hepatitis as compared with control subjects and was not different among asymptomatic carriers, chronic persistent hepatitis and control subjects. 5) The ratio of T4/T8 was significantly decreased in chronic active hepatitis and tended to be decreased in asymptomatic HBsAg carriers and chronic persistent hepatitis. 6) The T cell subsets were not different between anti-HBs positive and negative cases in HB vaccine inoculated subjects. On the basis of the results, it can be suggested that defect in the immunoregulatory system due to decrease of T3 and T4 cells and increase of percentage of T8 cells plays an important role in the development of chronic active hepatitis B.

Keywords :T cell subset, Hepatitis B