[Behavior of leukocyte chemotaxis in various clinico-immunological situations]

Chemotaxis is a property common to all free cells or unicellular microorganisms. It is not a simple spontaneous cellular migration but one which is directed towards the source or nucleus, producer of the chemotactic substance. One of the first phenomenon which is established as a defense mechanism of the organism is the attraction of polymorphonuclears. In 1955 Rebuck and Crowley described a method, "skin window" for the study of in vivo leukocyte chemotaxis. The aim of this work was to go deeper into the study of this test and to establish its clinical use. Two hundred and seventy patients from both sexes were studied and divided into five groups: Group I - 60 healthy subjects as control. Group II - 60 patients with pathologic leukocyte response: 10 cirrhotics, 15 Hodgkin's disease, 15 chronic renal insufficiency, 2 drepanocytosis and 3 sarcoidosis. Group III - 60 patients with no theoretical alterations in the leukocyte chemotaxis: 22 bronchial asthma, 23 nonlymphoid neoplasm, 13 iritis and 2 histiocytosis X. Group IV - 40 active tuberculosis patients. Group V - 30 patients with bacterial pneumonia non-tuberculosis. The Rebuck test was carried out on all patients. As lymphocyte markers, E rosettes, superficial immunoglobulins and the lymphoblast transformation test against PHA were performed on all the groups of patients. As to the results obtained, the positive responses for Groups I, II, III, IV and V were 87%, 28%, 83.3%, 45% and 63.3%, respectively. These results were evaluated in relation to the Mantoux reaction. The modified Rebuck test is useful for leukocyte chemotactic study. This was found to be altered in 13% of the healthy population.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)