Neutrophils, oxidative killing mechanisms and chemiluminescence

Neutrophils engaged in phagocytosis show a respiratory burst which is characterised by an increased consumption of oxygen, the production of hydrogen peroxide and unstable oxygen intermediates and an increase in the activity of the hexose monophosphate shunt. These metabolic events are accompanied by the emission of light from the phagocytosing cell. Measurement of this chemiluminescence provides a convenient method of asessing the microbicidal competence of neutrophils.