Inverse relationship between interferon production by mononuclear leucocytes and oxidative metabolism of neutrophil granulocytes in infection prone children.

The ability of neutrophil granulocytes (PMN) from 15 infection prone children to produce luminol enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) was disturbed to varying extents in eight patients, two of whom were diagnosed as having chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). The ability of peripheral blood mononuclear leucocytes (PBL) to produce interferons (IFN) was normal, as tested with the inducers Sendai virus, E. coli, concanavalin A and L. culinaris lectin. However, the IFN response to the inducer S. aureus Cowan I (SACoI) was decreased in patients with normal CL and tended to be increased in those with decreased CL. There was a significant inverse relation between the CL of PMN and the SACoI-induced IFN responses by PBL of the patients. A regulatory effect of products of oxidative metabolism on SACoI-induced IFN production is therefore suggested. Patients, including those with CGD and controls showed similar basal and in vitro IFN enhanced natural killer (NK) activity of PBL against K-562 erythroleukaemia cells.