Phagocyte chemotaxis in the perinatal period.

Cross-sectional and limited sequential studies of neutrophil and monocyte chemotaxis were done using cells isolated from cord blood and peripheral blood of 2- to 6-day-old neonates and infants at 4 and 6 months of age. These studies show that cord blood phagocyte chemotaxis is comparable to adult values, whereas phagocyte chemotaxis at 2-6 days of age is significantly lower than adult (P less than 0.01) or cord (P less 0.01) chemotaxis values. At 6 months of age, phagocyte chemotaxis is still low compared to adult values (P less than 0.01).