A new method for measuring simultaneously the phagocytic and bactericidal capacity of human leukocytes

A new technique for simultaneously measuring the phagocytic and bactericidal capacity of human leukocytes is proposed. The method uses 14C labelled bacteria and is based on the principle that only viable intra-cellular bacteria incorporate 3H-thymidine. Phagocytosis is measured by the ratio intra-cellular 14C/extra and intra-cellular 14C and the bactericidal capacity of leukocytes by the difference between the 3H-thymidine incorporation of the ingested and non-ingested bacteria. Results in normal subjects and in a case of chronic granulomatous disease show the validity of the method which is easier and quicker than the methods previously used.