The "Infectious Mononucleosis Cell" A Cytochemical Study

The abnormal cells in the peripheral blood of patients with infectious mononucleosis were studied by available histochemical technics and with immunofluorescent and autoradiographic technics. The findings indicated a close relationship of these cells to lymphocytes, although the strong acid phosphatase reaction observed in the infectious mononucleosis (IM) cells was not usually seen in normal lymphocytes, but rather in monocytes and reticulum cells. There was no evidence of antibody production by the IM cells of the peripheral blood.

Studies of the lymph nodes showed two abnormal cell types: one, similar to the IM cells in the peripheral blood but more immature, and the second, a primitive cell with various indications of immunologic competence.