Quantitative Aspects of Phagocytosis as Influenced by the Number of Bacteria and Leucocytes

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Abstract
Summary and Conclusions: Unless the relative number of bacteria and leucocytes, and the number of each per unit volume, can be controlled in phagocytic tests, the values for the percentage of leucocytes which ingest bacteria and the average number of bacteria per leucocyte are subject to misinterpretation. This applies to all situations except when two or more serums are compared simultaneously against the same suspension of bacteria and leucocytes. With constant numbers of leucocytes, increases in bacterial numbers increase the values for percentage-phagocytosis and for bacilli-per-leucocyte. Within the range of ratios analyzed, the bacilli-per-leucocyte values change as a linear function of the number of bacteria, while the percentage-phagocytosis values change according to the logarithm of the bacterial numbers. As measured by the percentage of the available bacilli engulfed, the effectiveness of the phagocytic system decreases as the number of bacteria and the phagocytic values rise. With constant numbers of bacteria, increase in the number of leucocytes lowers the percentage-phagocytosis and bacilli-per-leucocyte values, but the effectiveness of the system is increased. With constant ratios of bacilli to leucocytes, increase in the absolute numbers of each component (numerical density of the system) causes higher phagocytic values and increasing action of the leucocytes on the bacteria during unit time, under the conditions of these experiments. When bacterial numbers increase in the presence of a constant number of leucocytes, the ingestion rate does not keep pace with the increasing possibilities for collision between the bacteria and leucocytes. The decreasing ratio of ingestions to collisions is attributed to the less adequate sensitization of the bacteria and to other physical factors which are undetermined.

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