Intrahepatic lymphocyte subpopulations in acute hepatitis in an adult with rubella

Rubella accompanied by serum aminotransferase elevations occurred in a 24-yr-old man. Liver biopsy showed ballooning degeneration and focal necrosis of liver cells, clumped Kupffer cells, and infiltration of inflammatory cells, mainly of the mononuclear type. Most mononuclear cells in the liver were CD8-positive and CD16-negative cells (cytotoxic T cells) which were in broad contact with the surface of liver cells. Leu 7 (natural killer) cells were few and sporadic. HLA class I antigens were expressed on liver cell membrane. Although hepatic involvement in adult rubella is not generally recognized, it may have been the cause of this patient's liver injury. Thus, cytotoxic T cells may play a role in liver injury in acute rubella infections in adults.