Flow cytometric analysis of lymphocyte subset phenotypes comparing normal children and adults

The use of monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry to characterize lymphocyte subsets has become an essential part of immunological research. In this study, we determined the normal ranges and absolute numbers of cells for several lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of children and adolescents (ages 4-16 years). These were compared to the same subsets found in adults. Several differences were observed among the T and NK cell subsets. The total number of T cells, especially the CD4+ subset, were higher in children while two CD8+ subpopulations (CD8+CD11+ and CD8+Leu 7+) were found to be lower. Children had approximately half the absolute numbers of natural killer (NK) cells (CD16+), including a lower percentage of the CD16+CD8+ and CD16+Leu 7+ subsets. Monocytes and B-cell values were not significantly different between the two groups.