Skin reactivity and phagocytic function of neutrophil leucocytes in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

A decreased capacity of the leucocytes to phagocyte yeast particles was found in patients with Crohn's disease of the ileum. Patients with lesions only in the colon showed normal phagocytic activity as did patients with ulcerative colitis (U.C.). Intradermal injection of killed Strep. pyogenes produced an increased erythrmatous reaction after 48 hours in patients with U.C., and the reaction was pustular in half of them. None of the controls or the patients with Crohn's disease of the ileum had such a reaction. An increased erythematous reaction to streptokinase-streptodornase was also more common in patients with U.C. than in those with Crohn's disease and a control group. No such difference was seen to other bacterial antigens. The reactivity to kallikrein, prostaglandin E1, histamine or bradykinin did not differ from that of normal subjects.