Effect of organochlorine pesticides on the phagocytic activity of bovine milk cells.

The effect of a complex of organochlorine compounds on the phagocytic activity of macrophages and neutrophils in milk was assessed in vitro using a mixture of DDT, DDE, DDD, alpha, beta and gamma-HCH and HCB and PCBs in concentrations occurring in milk and in concentrations being multiples of the concentrations in milk. Standard strains 305 and Smith of S. aureus were used for phagocytosis assessment. A suppressing effect of these compounds was observed on the per cent of cells phagocytizing both these strains, with a significant decrease in the number of bacteria of both strains phagocytized by macrophages, and the number of S. aureus strain 305 bacteria phagocytized by neutrophils. The concentrations of the mixture of organochlorine compounds used in the experiment had no significant effect on the number of Smith strain bacteria phagocytized by neutrophils.