[A study of clinical significance of leucocyte migration test in drug eruption]

In 202 patients suspected of drug eruption, the identification of the allergenic drugs were performed by leucocyte migration test (LMT). Leucocyte migration activating factor (LMAF) was detected in 94 cases (46.5%) and Leucocyte migration inhibitory factor (LMIF) in 93 cases (46.0%) for tests either without patients' serum or with patient's serum. Either LMAF or LMIF was detected in 158 cases (78.2%). LMAF was detected in 46 cases (22.8%) for tests only without patient's serum, and in 68 cases (33.7%) for tests only with patient's serum. Accordingly, LMAF was found significantly more frequently with patient's serum than without patient's serum (p < 0.01, chi 2-test). The drugs showing either LMAF-positive or LMIF-positive were detected in 193 of all 647 suspected drugs, in which 53 drugs (27.5%) were beta-lactam antibiotics and 36 (28.0%) were non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs. LMAF was detected significantly higher than LMIF in beta-lactam antibiotics-induced eruptions (p < 0.01, chi 2-test), which LMIF was detected significantly higher than LMAF in non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs-induced eruptions (p < 0.01, chi 2-test). Our finding indicate that both LMAF and LMIF may be involved in the pathogenesis of drug eruptions, that the detection of either LMAF or LMIF may be valuable to identify the allergenic drugs in drug eruption by means of LMT and that the production of LMAF may be enhanced in the presence of patients' sera. Furthermore, the pathogenic mechanism of beta-lactam antibiotics-induced eruption may be different from that of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs-induced eruption.