Abstract
It has been reported that normal monocytes kill S. aureus as effectively as do PMN but patients with congenital neutropenia (CN) have increased number of circulating monocytes in the presence of uncontrolled infection. Therefore, we have compared the metabolic and bactericidal responses of CN monocytes from 2 such patients, the monocytes from 2 patients with cyclic neutropenia, patients with chronic infection, to the PMN from normals and patients with chronic infection, to the PMN from normals and patients with acute infections. At a bacteria to phagocyte ratio of 2–3:1 in an in vitro system which measured the combined effect of uptake and intracellular killing of S. aureus, PMNs consistently killed about 95% of the inoculum during 2 hours. In contrast, monocytes from all patients failed to diminsh the number of bacteria during the incubation. PMNs initiated ingestion sooner, took up S. aureus or zymosan particles faster, and ingested more bacteria or particles than did monocytes. Furthermore, despite a brisk respiratory burst, pentose shunt stimulation and hydrogen peroixde production by monocytes, there was less iodintion of bacteria by monocytes than PMN. Granule myeloperoxidase was significantly less in monocytes (163 ± 47) from all patients compared to PMN (390 ± 10). Cell associated bactericidal activity by monocytes was markedly diminshed compared to PMN (390 ± 10). Cell associated bactericidal activity by monocytes was markedly diminshed compared to PMN. These studies show that monocytes from patients with neutropenic syndromes function similarly to monocytes from children with subacute infection. Such monocytes are less bactericidal than PMN because of the combination of decreased phagocytic capacity and lower activity of the intracellular mechanisms related to peroxidation of bacteria.
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Baehner, R., Johnston, R. Monocyte function in children with neutropenia. Pediatr Res 5, 408 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197108000-00153
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197108000-00153