[Multipuncture: a simple test for cell immunity at the patient's bedside. Determination of a reference population...

Two-hundred and fifty-four hospital patients (125 men and 129 women) treated for neurological or osteo-articular disorders, free from severe underlying diseases, non-atopic and not receiving immunosuppressants were tested for cutaneous delayed hypersensitivity with a multipuncture instrument which measures the response to 7 antigens simultaneously. The purpose of the trial was to determine normal control values in an immunologically normal population. The antigens used were tuberculin, tetanus and diphtheria anatoxins, Candida, Proteus, Streptococcus and Trichophyton. All tests were carried out by the same operator. The subjects were divided into 8 groups according to their sex and age (15-24, 25-39, 40-64 and 65 years or more) and statistical assessment of the results was based on the number and diameter of skin reactions and on individual scores, each score being the sum of mean diameters of all positive reactions observed at 24 and 48 hours. The overall incidence of positive responses was superior to 50%, except for Trichophyton in men and anatoxins in women. Responses were less pronounced in women of all ages than in men, and the number of positive skin tests, as well as the score values, were reduced in subjects aged 65 or more, particularly in males. The population thus tested could serve as reference in further studies using multipuncture.