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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, May 2005, p. 563-565, Vol. 12, No. 5
1071-412X/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CDLI.12.5.563-565.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Levels of Recent Thymic Emigrant Cells Decrease in Children Undergoing Partial Thymectomy during Cardiac Surgery

Ashish B. Madhok, A. Chandrasekran, Vincent Parnell, Mysore Gandhi, Devyani Chowdhury, and Savita Pahwa*

North Shore-Long Island Jewish Research Institute and Schneider Children's Hospital, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, Manhasset, New York

Received 2 August 2004/ Returned for modification 29 October 2004/ Accepted 30 December 2004

The human thymus is required for establishment of a T-cell pool in fetal life, but postnatal thymectomy is not known to cause immunodeficiency. T-cell emigration from thymus (thymic recent emigrants [TRECs]) is a continuous thymic-dependent process. We studied TREC levels pre- and post-partial thymectomy in children undergoing cardiac surgery. TRECs were quantitated by real-time PCR in peripheral blood lymphocytes of 24 children (0 to 12 years). TREC values were 47916 ± 9271 pre-partial thymectomy and 33157 ± 8479 post-partial thymectomy in 11 paired patients (P = 0.014). Interval between pre- and post-partial thymectomy was 8.8 days ± 5.8 days. Another group of 8 children had 30384 ± 9748 TRECs 16 days to 6 years post-partial thymectomy. There was a significant drop in TREC values post-partial thymectomy in the immediate postoperative period compared to prethymectomy TREC levels. While decreased thymic output may persist, the long-term implications were not evaluated in this patient population.

* Corresponding author. Present address: Batchelor Children's Research Institute, 1580 NW 10th Avenue, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136. Phone: 305-243-7732. Fax: (305) 243-7211. E-mail: spahwa{at}med.miami.edu.

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, May 2005, p. 563-565, Vol. 12, No. 5
1071-412X/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CDLI.12.5.563-565.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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