Comments on the Leucocyte Migration Technique As an in Vitro Method for Demonstrating Cellular Hypersensitivity in Man

Abstract

Kaltreider et al. (1) report difficulties encountered with “buffy coat” cells and tuberculin antigen in a capillary tube migration system designed to detect human delayed hypersensitivity. As we and others have been working with in vitro migration of human peripheral leucocytes in a similar system for 3 to 4 years and have consistently obtained significant and reproducible results (2–18) we have studied their communication with great interest. Our first experiences with tuberculin hypersensitivity in a similar system were also inconclusive (9). One of us (G. B.) examined tuberculin hypersensitivity in 35 patients using purified protein derivative (PPD) as well as delipidated tubercle bacteria (E₅) as antigen. There was a remarkable digression of migration indices, varying between pronounced stimulation and inhibition, and insignificantly correlated with the delayed-type intracutaneous response. Later, however, probably due to improved technique, Clausen and Søborg have obtained significant results with PPD as antigen in the leucocyte migration system (17).