Cellular immune responses and lymphocyte populations in chronic hepatitis.

Cellular immune responsiveness was examined in chronic persistent hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis and alcoholic liver disease by the use of the lymphocyte transformation test in response to PHA and to allogenic liver mitochondria, inhibition of leukocyte migration, delayed-type skin tests and non-immunospecific granulocyte function tests. Lymphocyte markers, E and EAC rosette forming cells were used for the study of lymphocyte populations. The results have confirmed that the T-cell borne cell-mediated immune function is impaired in chronic active hepatitis, as also in a number of cases of chronic persistent hepatitis.