The pattern of respiratory burst of leucocytes in patients with Echinococcus granulosus

The function of polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN) of patients with hydatidosis was investigated. The patients were divided into three categories according to the characteristics of the cyst (calcified, alive and dead cyst). Healthy blood donors were used as a control group. The oxidative activity of PMN was determined by chemiluminescence (CL) assay. Reduction of ferricytochrome C was used to measure the superoxide (O2-) production. Phagocytosis was monitored by opsonized yeast uptake. The results showed that the CL response, O2- production and phagocytic index of PMN, significantly increased in patients with dead cysts compared with healthy subjects while in patients with live cysts there was a marked reduction. No significant changes were noticed in patients with calcified cysts. These data indicate that the PMN of infected patients were in an activated state both functionally and metabolically.