A comparison of the oxidative reactions of neutrophils from a variety of species when stimulated by opsonized zymosan and F-met-leu-phe.

Bovine, ovine and porcine blood neutrophils produced less superoxide and consumed less oxygen than human neutrophils when they were challenged with serum-treated zymosan. These differences were not related to methodological considerations or the origin of the serum used to treat the zymosan. When the two main methods of neutrophil isolation were applied to human neutrophils, no differences in the particle stimulated respiratory bursts were observed. The bacterial chemotactic peptide, F-met-leu-phe, which enhances superoxide production of human neutrophils whether or not they are challenged with serum-treated zymosan, did not increase superoxide production of neutrophils from cattle, sheep or pigs under either of these conditions. We conclude that, if our understanding of these host defence mechanisms in domesticated animals is to match that of man, further detailed studies of animal neutrophils are necessary.