[Immunohistochemical study of plasmocytes and T-lymphocyte subpopulations in Hashimoto's thyroiditis]

In Hashimoto's thyroiditis, there is a diffuse interfollicular infiltration of lymphocytes and plasmocytes and lymphoid collections with germinal centers. Eleven cases of Hashimoto's disease were studied with immunocytochemical methods for characterization of intracytoplasmic immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgM, Kappa and lambda light chains). Most of the cells are plasmocytes stained positively for intracytoplasmic IgG; IgA positive cells were less frequent and IgM positive cells are rare. Kappa positive plasma cells are more numerous than lambda positive cells in the germinal centers and the interfollicular infiltration. By an indirect immunofluorescence technique in frozen tissue, we have studied with four monoclonal antibodies (OKT3, OKT4, OKT8, B1) the T cells subsets populations in two cases.