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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Separation of Immune Cell Subpopulations in Peripheral Blood Samples from Children with Infectious Mononucleosis
Published on: September 7, 2022
Are the reference values of B cell subpopulations used in adults for classification of common variable
J Smet1, F Mascart, L Schandené
1Laboratory of Vaccinology and Mucosal Immunity and Immunobiology Clinic, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles (U.L.B.), Brussels, Belgium.
Abstract:
Detailed phenotypic characterization of B cell subpopulations is of utmost importance for the diagnosis and management of humoral immunodeficiencies, as they are used for classification of common variable immunodeficiencies. Since age-specific reference values remain scarce in the literature, we analysed by flow cytometry the proportions and absolute values of total, memory, switched memory and CD21(-/low) B cells in blood samples from 168 healthy children (1 day to 18 years) with special attention to the different subpopulations of CD21(low) B cells. The percentages of total memory B cells and their subsets significantly increased up to 5-10 years. In contrast, the percentages of immature CD21(-) B cells and of immature transitional CD21(low)CD38(hi) B cells decreased progressively with age, whereas the percentage of CD21(low) CD38(low) B cells remained stable during childhood. Our data stress the importance of age-specific reference values for the correct interpretation of B cell subsets in children as a diagnostic tool in immunodeficiencies.
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