[The alveolar macrophage and its anti-infectious function (author's transl)].

The alveolar macrophage belongs to the "Mononuclear Phagocytic System". The medullary promonocyte is its stem-cell. It has a kidneyshaped nucleus, a developed vesicular Golgi apparatus, numerous mitochondriae, lysosomes, phagosomes, and a rough or smooth ergastoplasm. It can survive several weeks in vitro, when cultivated on a porous membrane in contact with a nutrient medium and incubated in a gaseous phase (5 per cent carbon dioxide in water saturated air). Mitotic activity is questionable. Oxygen consumption is high during endocytosis. Metabolic energy is derived from direct oxidative glucose breakdown. Its anti-infectious property is based on phagocytosis as well as on cytoplasmic germicidal or lytic systems (hydrogen peroxide, catalase, free oxygen radicals, hydrogen ion, lysozyme and other lysosomial hydrolases). This function is stimulated by T lymphocyte and by endocytosis of digestible material. In vitro, the alveolar macrophage is capable of inhibiting intra-cellular development of Candida albicans, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphlylococcus albus and Staphylococcus aureus.