Abstract: Frozen sections of skin lesions of 16 patients with systemic lupus erythmatasus (SLE) were analysed by the avidin-biotin-pcroxidase complex (ABA) technique, using a panel of monoclonal and polyclonaI antibodies. It was shown brat the majority of infiltrating cell,were T cells, a large number of tirwe cells were OKIa 1^* ceiLs, indicating that they were in an activated state.