Reduction of cell mediated immunity in patients with genital warts of long duration

Cell mediated immunity was studied by a leucocyte migration inhibition assay and by tuberculin and dinitrochlorobenzene skin tests in 30 patients with recurrent genital warts and in 34 healthy people (with no history of genital warts) who served as controls. Migration inhibition was significantly less in patients suffering from recurrences for more than one year than in controls (p less than 0.001). Dinitrochlorobenzene and tuberculin sensitivity were also found to be impaired in those with infection of long duration (p less than 0.001).