Altered monocyte functions in patients with angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy

Monocyte function was investigated in ten patients with angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy (AILD). Although spontaneous migration, phagocytosis and opsonisation of monocytes were unimpaired, the chemotactic response and erythrocyte-antibody-rosette (EA-rosette) formation were decreased significantly. The migratory response of normal monocytes was inhibited on preincubation with serum from AILD patients. It is suggested that the immune abnormality in AILD, previously thought to involve T-B and natural killer lymphocytes, extends to the monocyte-macrophage system.