Function of Neutrophils in Preleukaemia

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Abstract
The function of blood neutrophil granulocytes was studied in vitro in 17 patients with preleukaemia. 3 patients had a cellular defect of chemotaxis. 2 of them had monosomy‐7 in bone marrow karyotype, in 1 associated with the deletion of the long arm of a chromosome 20. The third patient had trisomy‐8. In the patient with trisomy‐8, the high percentage of band neutrophils was possibly associated with the chemotactic defect. In another patient with trisomy‐8 chemotaxis was normal. There was a statistically significant tendency to reduced phagocytosis and impaired ability to kill Staphylococcus aureus. 1 patient with a chemotactic defect and monosomy‐7 suffered from repeated infections. The other 2 patients with defective chemotaxis had several febrile episodes most probably of infectious origin, and 1 of them died in sepsis. All of these 3 patients had cutaneous abscesses. It is concluded that defects in neutrophil granulocyte function are not uncommon in preleukaemia and may result in reduced resistance to infection.