Although, it must be acknowledged that tonsils are only available from individuals who have either an upper airway obstruction or have suffered from recurrent tonsillitis, the results are highly suggestive of increased numbers of pneumococcal specific CD4+ T cells within lymphoid tissues in the vicinity of the nasopharynx, which we propose to be likely due to the sequestration of these cells within these organs. This evidence concerns the gene CD4 and tonsillitis.