Abstract
A 9-year-old boy has had recurrent staphylococcal infections localized to the skin and clinically similar to pyoderma gangrenosum for 4 years. He has had chronic gingivitis and otitis media but never sepsis. Chemotaxis in vivo, assessed by Rebuck skin windows and by the ability to form pus was impaired. In vitro, chemotaxis by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) to serum and bacterial derived chemotactic factors was abnormal. The patient's serum generated chemotactic activity normally. In vitro, phagocytosis of bacteria by PMN was normal. However, killing of both catalase positive and catalase negative bacteria by the patient's PMN was markedly abnormal. The patient's serum did not inhibit chemotaxis or bacterial killing by control PMN. Resting and latex-stimulated oxygen consumption, hexose monophosphate pathway activity, nitroblue tetrazolium dye reduction and hydrogen peroxide production by PMN were normal. Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, myeloperoxidase, lysozyme and β-glucuronidase were normal. Spontaneous release of lysozyme and β-glucuronidase from PMN was not elevated and their extracellular release increased normally during phagocytosis. This abnormality of PMN function appears to be different from those previously described and emphasizes the importance of studying such patients in order to further our understanding of PMN function.
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Biggar, W., Issekutz, A. 684 ABNORMAL CHEMOTAXIS AND BACTERIAL KILLING BY POLYMORPHONUCLEAR LEUKOCYTES IN A CHILD WITH RECURRENT INFECTION. Pediatr Res 12 (Suppl 4), 477 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-00689
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-00689