[Nucleic acid content in peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with infectious mononucleosis]

An increase in RNA content in peripheral blood lymphocytes and increased number of macronuclear weakly basophilic cells (presumably due to increased content of B-lymphocytes which, in contrast to sharply basophilic T-lymphocytes, are characterized by light basophilic cytoplasm) are observed in patients with infectious mononucleosis. Macronuclear forms represented equally by hyper- and hypobasophilic elements predominate the structure of atypical mononuclears. Increased content of DNA in the peripheral blood lymphocytes is due to increased number of cells with high DNA content in the patient's blood and appearance of cells with 52-65 arb. units DNA (blast-transformed atypical mononuclears infected with the virus) which are normally absent.