Desquamative interstitial pneumonitis. Characterization of free intraalveolar cells

There is some disagreement concerning the nature of the free intraalveolar cells in desquamative interstitial pneumonitis, although the greatest weight of evidence suggests them to be alveolar macrophages. We have obtained these cells by bronchoalveolar lavage from two patients with desquamative interstitial pneumonitis and studied their in vitro antibacterial activity and their ultrastructural morphology. Our results indicate that the free intraalveolar cells in these two patients were alveolar macrophages with normal antibacterial function.