Birbeck Granules (Langerhans’ Cell Granules) in Human Lymph Nodes

Abstract

Electron microscopic examination of lymph nodes from “normal” subjects and diseased patients revealed the presence of Birbeck granules in histiocytes in 8 of 12 patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), 1 of 6 patients with other diseases, and 1 of 4 “normal” subjects. The one apparently “normal” subject who had Birbeck granules was the sibling twin of a patient with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. The significance of Birbeck granules is not fully known, and the possible relationship to SSPE is speculative at this time. The data are interpreted as supporting the concept of Prunieras²⁸ that Birbeck granules may play an important role in the primary response to antigenic substances.