[Influence of the irritant used to provoke the peritoneal exudate used in the macrophage migration inhibition test (author's transl)].

The effect of the irritant chosen to provoke the peritoneal exudate in donors of cells for the in vitro migration inhibition test was studied. Guinea-pigs with delayed hypersensitivity to tubercle bacilli were used. Irritants studied included starch, Bayol and thioglycollate medium. The exudates obtained with thioglycollate were found to show greater inhibition than those obtained with the other irritants in the in vitro response to PPD, Inhibition of migration was seen when 1 microgram/ml of PPD was added to the culture medium; with this dose the inhibition of migration was 53%. The state of activation of macrophages caused by the irritant thus appears to have some importance for their responsiveness to factors liberated by specifically sensitized lymphocytes.