Increased affinity of guinea pig thymocytes and thymus-dependent lymphocytes for papain-treated rabbit erythrocytes compared to untreated erythrocytes.

The affinity of guinea pig thymocytes and peripheral T lymphocytes for rabbit erythrocytes was found to be enhanced following treatment of the erythrocytes with papain. By increasing the numbers of rosette-forming cells and giving stronger, more stable rosettes, this procedure increases the usefulness of the reaction as a T cell marker in guinea pigs.