[Phagocytosis of Candida albicans by polymorphonuclear leucocytes from patients with nodular lepromatous leprosy].

Patients suffering from nodular lepromatous leprosy are deficient in cellular immunity but may not be more susceptible to other infections. Therefore it is possible that other defense mechanisms are operational in dealing with other infectious agents these patients may be exposed to. In this report, the phagocytic and fungicidal activity of polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells against Candida albicans was examined using PMN from 20 nodular lepromatous patients and from 20 healthy subjects (controls). The method used was that of PMN adherence to glass. The phagocytic activity was evaluated after 15 mn and 45 mn. We observed that there was phagocytized by 94 % of the PMN from patients and by 95 % of the PMN from the controls. The phagocytic index of the yeasts ingested by the PMN were 4.47 and 4.10 for, respectively, patients and controls. The frequencies of yeasts killed by PMN from patients and controls were, respectively, 29.6 and 29.4 %. The results indicated that PMN from patients and healthy controls had the same capacity to phagocytize and to destroy yeasts of C. albicans.