Cell-mediated immune response following Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in man. II. Leucocyte migration inhibition.

By the use of the leucocyte migration inhibition assay a cell-mediated immune response to was demonstrated in seven out often patients examined 3–6 weeks after onset of lower respiratory-tract illness associated with infection. Six months after onset of illness -induced migration inhibition was only demonstrable in one out of four cases with a positive migration inhibition assay during the early period after infection. Among four other cases examined 1 year after infection inhibition of leucocyte migration was also demonstrable in only one case. The migration of leucocytes from eight healthy blood donors was not inhibited by antigen. Most cases examined by the migration inhibition assay were also examined for -induced lymphocyte stimulation . The lymphocyte stimulation test was more often positive than the migration inhibition assay. There was no quantitative correlation between these two tests.