[Studies on the pathogenic mechanism of hypersensitivity to antibacterial agents--correlations of leucocyte migration activating factor and leucocyte migration inhibitory factor with interleukin-2 and interferon-gamma].

Analyses of leucocyte migration activating factor (LMAF) and leucocyte migration inhibitory factor (LMIF), and measurements of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN gamma) were performed after stimulation of suspected agents in 25 patients thought to be hypersensitive to antibacterial agents in order to clarify the pathogenic mechanism. The leucocyte migration inhibition test (LMIT) was negative in 6 patients. LMAF was detected in 11 patients and LMIF in 8 patients. IL-2 values (M +/- SE) were 6.23 +/- 1.33 BRPM u/ml in the LMIT-negative group, 17.67 +/- 1.68 BRPM u/ml in the LMAF-positive group and 7.98 +/- 0.26 BRPM u/ml in the LMIF-positive group. The LMAF-positive group was found to have a significantly higher level of production of IL-2 (p < 0.005) than the other groups. Moreover, mathematical analysis revealed a positive correlation between the leucocyte migration indices and IL-2 in the LMAF-positive group (r = 0.75, p < 0.01). IFN gamma was detected in only 3 patients (16% of the LMIT-positive patients), i.e., in 2 patients in the LMAF-positive group and one patient in the LMIF-positive group. The patient in the LMIF-positive group was found to have lower IFN gamma values than the patients in the LMAF-positive group. Moreover, examination of the effects of IL-2 and IFN gamma on leucocyte migration revealed that IL-2 or IFN gamma and LMAF or LMIF were not exactly the same.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)