IN VITRO STIMULATION OF BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES FROM MYCOPLASMA PNEUMONIAE INFECTED PATIENTS WITH PNEUMONIA AND WITH DISORDERS OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

Abstract

In 23 patients with M. pneumoniae (MP) infection (13 with pneumonia and 10 with an acute febrile, non-bacterial disorder of the CNS) and in 26 healthy control persons, thymidine incorporation of blood lymphocytes stimulated in vitro by killed MP was studied. The lymphocyte response to MP was significantly higher in pneumonia patients than in the controls. In patients with an acute disorder of the CNS, lymphocyte responses to MP tended to be low or normal in lack of pleocytosis in the spinal fluid, but were predominantly high when pleocytosis or a pulmonary infiltrate was present. Lymphocyte responses to the mitogens PHA [phytohemagglutinin], PWM [pokeweed mitogen] and Con [concanavalin] were normal in all groups. The lack of increased responses to MP antigen in some of the neurlogical patients despite a current MP infection may reflect an antigen-specific depression or a lack of specific sensitization of their lymphocytes.