[Humoral and cellular immunity and sepsis in intensive care (author's transl)]

Different parameters of humoral and cell mediated immunity were studied in 17 patients with sepsis. There is an important decrease of CH 50 (82 p. cent of patients) and variations of serum complement according with activation of alternative pathway in gram negative and gram positive septicemia. The cellular immunity is never normal: the stimulation index of lymphocyte proliferation under the influence of P. H. A. is lower than 3. There is less than 50 p. cent of T lymphocytes forming rosettes. With cure of sepsis a discrimination is observed between patients with transient decreased immunity and those with persistent lower responses.