Leukocyte migration inhibition factor in atopic dermatitis: induction by concanavalin A in vitro

Assays for the production of leukocyte migration inhibition factor (LMIF) activity by cultured lymphocytes in the presence of the T-cell mitogen concanavalin A (ConA) have been shown to be highly sensitive for detecting decreases in cell-mediated immunity in patients with malignant diseases and primary and secondary immunodeficiency diseases. We have applied the leukocyte migration inhibition test in agarose using supernatants from ConA-stimulated lymphocyte cultures (indirect leukocyte migration inhibition test in agarose for studying patients with atopic dermatitis. Only 5 of 14 lymphocyte cultures from atopic dermatitis patients produced LMIF when stimulated with ConA, as compared with 34 of 34 controls. This difference is highly significant.