Immunohistochemical staining of biopsy specimens was used to investigate the occurrence of lymphocyte subsets and non-lymphoid cells within the epithelial layer of the human nasal mucosa. The CD 19 (B cell) marker was not expressed on the intra-epithelial lymphocytes, whereas the pan T cell marker CD2 was varyingly detected. The HLA-Dr antigen was abundantly present on epithelial cells, lymphocytes, and non-lymphoid cells. The latter are probably dendritic or Langerhans’ cells. The findings stated above were the same in patient and control samples. In biopsy sections of 9 ear, nose, and throat patients, many CD8-positive (T suppressor/cytotoxic) cells and very few weakly stained CD4-expressing (T helper/inducer) cells were present. Quantification on single-cell preparations showed an average of 67 of the lymphocytes to be CD2 positive, 73 to be CD8 positive, while only 12 of the lymphocytes expressed the CD4 antigen. In control sections CD8 was similarly present as in patient sections, and, in addition, some clearly stained CD4-positive cells were see
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