The white pulp is the lymphoid tissue of the spleen, about a quarter of its volume. It forms sheaths of T cells around the central arterioles and B cell follicles beside them.
| Location | Scattered through the spleen around the central arterioles |
|---|---|
| Nerve Supply | Coeliac plexus (sympathetic fibres along the splenic artery) |
| Blood Supply | Splenic artery (central and penicillar arterioles) |
| Venous drainage |
|
| Lymphatic drainage |
|
Filters blood for antigens and mounts immune responses, especially antibodies against encapsulated bacteria.
Loss of the white pulp after splenectomy or in sickle cell disease leaves people vulnerable to overwhelming infection by pneumococcus, meningococcus and Haemophilus, so they need vaccines and sometimes antibiotics. Lymphomas can expand the white pulp.
Rapid life-threatening sepsis from encapsulated bacteria after loss of splenic function.
Lymphoma involving the white pulp and enlarging the spleen.
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