LYMPHOCYTE FUNCTION IN ANERGIC PATIENTS

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  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 47  (1) , 155-161
Abstract
The lymphocyte function of anergic surgical patients who are at increased risk for sepsis and mortality was studied. In vitro lymphocyte responses appear to be normal in most instances, in that > 80% of patients showed a normal response in a standardized mixed leukocyte culture reaction, and 56% of the lymphocytes from anergic patients showed a positive in vitro proliferative response with purified protein derivative (PPD). The ability of in vitro-activated lymphocytes to elicit a skin reaction was determined by culturing the cells of anergic patients with PPD and then reinjecting the lymphocytes or their supernatants intradermally into the original donor. When there was a positive proliferative response to PPD in vitro, the reinjected cells or supernatant elicited a positive skin reaction in 79% of the anergic patients. A skin reaction was obtained in < 20% of the instances when there was no in vitro proliferation to PPD or when the cells were cultured without antigen. One of the acquired immune defects in these anergic patients appears to be an in vivo block of lymphocyte activation.