Ultrastructural Studies of Typhoid Cells

To investigate the nature of typhoid cells, three cases of clinically, serologically and histopathologically proven typhoid lesions of the small intestine and regional lymph nodes were studied light and electron microscopically, Light microscopically, typhoid cells were swollen mononuclear cells characterized by abundant amount of eosinophilic cytoplasm and frequent phagocytoses of red blood cells, bacterial clumps and other tissue debris. These cells were pyronin negative, Electron microscopically, these cells showed marked and diffuse dilatation of RER cisternae and disappearance of ordinary cytoplasmic organelles, but frequent phagocytosed materials, The meaning and reason of RER cisternal dilatation and reduction of cytoplasmic organelles were discussed, and are regarded as degenerative process due to bacterial endotoxin. Although there was hot enough cytoplasmic organelles to pinpoint the origin of typhoid cells, active phagocytosis and evidences against being either plasmacytic or lymphocytic nature favored retuculoendothelial nature of the typhoid cells.