Quantitative measurement of the bactericidal capability of neutrophils from patients and carriers of chronic granulomatous disease.

Previous studies examined the ability of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) from patients and carriers of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) to kill small numbers of bacteria in vitro. The purpose of the present study was to accurately measure the number of microorganisms killed by CGD PMN when the initial number of bacteria per neutrophil was increased. Bactericidal capacities of PMN from seven patients and five proven carriers of CGD were examined with five test ratios ranging from 1.25 to 100 bacteria/neutrophil. CGD PMN killed a limited number of catalase-positive S. aureus but the number of bacteria killed increased progressively as the initial test ratio was advanced. At the highest ratio (100:1) patient PMN killed a mean of nine S. aureus per cell (normal 48 +/- 13.2 SD). PMN from patients with CGD killed increasing numbers of catalase-negative S. faecalis with normal efficiency, reaching a mean of 14 S. faecalis killed per cell at 100:1. Individual variation in the ability of CGD PMN to kill S. Aureus was apparent but the degree of PMN bactericidal effectiveness did not correlate with the patient's clinical course. PMN from asymptomatic carriers of proven sex-linked CGD also had a wide spectrum of staphylocidal activity which ranged from normal to levels comparable to CGD patients.