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Mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) in the human conjunctiva
Author(s) -
Wotherspoon Andrew C.,
Isaacson Peter G.,
HardmanLea Simon
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.1711740106
Subject(s) - conjunctiva , mucosa associated lymphoid tissue , pathology , lymphatic system , malt lymphoma , fornix , asymptomatic , conjunctival diseases , medicine , biology , hippocampus
The recent description of conjunctival lymphomas with features of lymphomas that arise in mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) infers the presence of MALT in the human conjunctiva. Some authors suggest that organized MALT is found in the normal human conjunctiva, but others disagree. In order to resolve this problem, we have examined the conjunctival fornix from unselected autopsies with no prior history of conjunctival or ocular disease for the presence of organized MALT. In only 31 per cent of cases was organized lymphoid tissue found with the morphological and immunophenotypic features of MALT. This finding suggests that MALT is not found in the normal human conjunctiva but is acquired during life in a proportion of apparently asymptomatic individuals.