Increased migration inhibition factor production by leukocytes of patients with herpes zoster given the leukocyte ultrafiltrate.

Using the direct leukocyte migration inhibition assay, the cell-mediated immune response was followed in together 47 patients suffering from herpes zoster. Of these, 19 persons were treated with partially purified and concentrated lysed leukocyte ultrafiltrate. Enhancement and/or earlier production of the leukocyte migration inhibition factor--in the presence of varicella-zoster virus antigen--was observed by leukocytes from patients given the ultrafiltrate on days 2-3 since the onset of the vesicular stage of the disease. Highly significant (alpha = 1%, P less than 0.01) differences in the migration inhibition values were observed between non-treated patients and patients given one dose of the ultrafiltrate during the days 3-12 after appearance of the first herpes zoster vesicles; on days 13-30 these values were not significant.