Micro-capillary agglutination

The buffy coat leukoagglutination (BCLA) test

The clumping of leukocytes in the buffy coat of whole blood is a new approach to the leukoagglutination technique. Not only is this procedure simpler, it produces consistent replicates and the results are reproducible. One of its features is the lack of cell manipulation. Buffy coat leukoagglutination (BCLA) can be induced by the addition of a variety of antigens, lectins or allogeneic sera to small samples of whole blood. It is an indicator of both cell-mediated immune responses and humoral anti-leukocyte activity. The occurrence of two morphologically distinct types of clumping also reflects this duality of the test. There is some evidence that BCLA may be a model for in vivo events.

A microimmunofluorescent assay to detect human granulocyte antigens and antibodies

Granulocyte antibodies are important in the pathogenesis of neonatal granulocytopenia, in some varieties of idiopathic granulocytopenia, and in transfusion reactions, particularly since the development of leukocyte transfusion therapy for granulocytopenic patients. Previous assays for the detection of granulocyte-specific antigens and antibodies were cumbersome, complex, and unreliable. Thus we have now described a new microimmunofluorescent method to assay human granulocyte antigens and their antibodies. This sensitive and reliable technique allows for the preservation of human granulocyte antigenicity for at least 24 hours. The granulocyte-specific antigens of a Caucasian population, residing in metropolitan New York, were studied by this microimmunofluorescent method. We report the distribution of granulocyte-specific antigens in this population, together with the corresponding gene frequency. This microimmunofluorescent test should improve our understanding of antigenic systems restricted to single cell populations.

Immune Mediated Neutropenia in Man and Animals: A Review

Immune mediated neutropenia has been reported in human medical literature with increasing frequency over the past 30 years. A wide variety of causes are known and numerous techniques have been developed to test for the presence of antineutrophil antibody. This paper reviews literature pertaining to the pathogenesis, detection and experimental production of immune mediated neutropenia in man and animals.

Mechanisms of levamisole-induced granulocytopenia in breast cancer patients

Five of 39 (13%) women treated with adjuvant combination chemotherapy plus levamisole immunotherapy after mastectomy for Stage II or III breast cancer developed levamisole-induced granulocytopenia. This complication occurred in each of the women between six and ten weeks after the completion of six months of combination chemoimmunotherapy when they were taking levamisole alone. Although none of the patients had an HLA B-27 locus and leukoagglutinins could not be demonstrated, complement-dependent, IgM mediated, peripheral destruction of granulocytes was documented using a microgranulocytotoxicity assay. In addition, a factor(s) present in serum from patients developing levamisole-induced granulocytopenia caused suppression of bone marrow granulocyte progenitor cells (CFU-C). The possible relationships between levamisole-induced peripheral granulocyte destruction and bone marrow CFU-C suppression are discussed.

Antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity to herpes simplex virus in man: the influence of drugs on polymorphonuclear leucocyte and mononuclear effector cells

We have shown that the function of the effector cells in antibody mediated cell dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC) can be reduced by the use of a number of drugs and prostaglandins. Both polymorphonuclear leucocyte and mononuclear effector cells were studied. Aminophylline and isoproterenol markedly reduced this activity. All the prostaglandins tested--PGA1, A2, E1 and E2 had a similar but more profound effect. At a dose of 100 mg/ml hydrocortisone had relatively little influence and neither ASA nor indomethacin had any effect on the effector cells tested. It is suggested that the effect of PGE1 in stimulating a recrudescent herpes simplex infection may be by reducing the efficacy of ADCC in host defence.