The present study has been performed to understand the location of the virus, type of apoptotic cells, and their relation to lymph nodes of piglets infected with porcine circovirus type Ⅱ （PCV-2）. Nine 32-day-old conventional piglets free of infection with PCV-2 were used, and distributed into three groups： control group （n = 3）, piglets inoculated with PCV-2 alone （PCV-2, n = 3）, and PCV-2 inoculated and KLH immunostimulated group （PCV-2 ＋ KLH, n = 3）. Superficial inguinal lymph nodes from all piglets were collected for histological examination after 32 days postinoculation, and immunohistochemistry for PCV-2 detection. Location of apoptotic cells was detected with TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling （TUNEL） and cell cycle, and the apoptotic rates were measured by flow cytometry. The characteristic histopathological lesions of the piglets in PCV-2 and PCV-2 ＋ KLH were lymphocyte depletions in the cortex and paracortex of the lymph nodes, epithelioid-like macrophage infiltration, and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies presented in epithelioid-like macrophages. PCV-2 was mainly found in epithelioid-like macrophages by immunohistochemistry. In the lymph nodes, lymphocytes presented higher apoptotic rates in the cortex by TUNEL, special B-cell areas, and similar apoptotic cells were found in this compartment in the control. The apoptotic rates of the lymph nodes were 0.41, 3.34, and 4.88% in the control, PCV-2, and PCV-2 ＋ KLH groups by flow cytometry, respectively. The apoptotic rates of lymph nodes for PCV-2 and PCV-2 ＋ KLH piglets were significantly higher than those for the control group （P〈0.05 and P〈0.01）. The proliferation index （PI） was 0.17_＋0.01, 0.12_＋0.01 and 0.12_＋0.04 in the control, PCV-2, and PCV-2 ＋ KLH group, the PI of the control group was higher than that of the other groups, but without the statistical difference. PCV-2 can induce lymphocyte depletion in lymph nodes of piglets by blocking cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. This is one o
