The ability of granulocytes of bone marrow tissue and vascular pools in atopic patients to absorb latex particles and Staphylococcus aureus.

In 68 patients with atopic asthma the ability of the granulocytes from the marrow tissue and vascular pools to engulf neutral latex particles and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria was studied. In patients with atopic asthma at the time of a lull in the disease, an impairment of engulfing of latex particles and S. aureus by the granulocytes in the marrow and vascular pools was demonstrated. The ability of absorbing bacteria and latex by the granulocytes in the tissue pool was similar in the group of patients and in the control group. At the time of asthmatic dyspnoea the ability of engulfing of S. aureus and latex by marrow pool granulocytes was rising steeply, while vascular and tissue pool granulocytes showed an even greater impairment of this ability than at the time of absence of dyspnoea.