Leukocytes in the cervix: a quantitative evaluation of cervicitis

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the numbers of leukocytes in the normal cervix and relate these numbers to the diagnosis of cervicitis. METHODS: Isolated cell suspensions were prepared from cervical tissue recovered at hysterectomy from 37 women who had no obvious cervical disease. The percentages of CD45+ cells (leukocytes) in these preparations were determined using immunofluorescence-based flow cytometric analysis. These percentages were compared with the pathologist's assessment of cervicitis. RESULTS: Leukocytes were present in all cervical samples tested. For endocervical samples, the mean (+/- standard error of the mean SEM]) percentage of CD45+ cells was 12.4 +/- 1.9% of cells in patients with a diagnosis of cervicitis (n = 16) and 9.1 +/- 1.1% in patients without cervicitis (n = 17). For ectocervical samples, the mean (+/- SEM) percentage was 14.8 +/- 3.0% in those with cervicitis (n = 16) and 9.5 +/- 1.6% in those without cervicitis (n = 19). The differences between samples from patients with cervicitis and those without cervicitis were not statistically significant at the .05 level. Intra- and interassay variabilities were 5.7 +/- 1.2% and 7.3 +/- 1.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates there is a resident population of leukocytes in the cervix. Leukocyte number did not relate clearly and consistently to the diagnosis of cervicitis made by the pathologist. We suggest that the resident population of leukocytes, in the absence of other indicators of infection, may confuse determinations of cervicitis.