SPECIFIC AND NONSPECIFIC PARAMETERS OF THE HOST-DEFENSE SYSTEM IN PATIENTS WITH SUPERFICIAL FUNGAL-INFECTIONS

Some measures of systemic host defences, i.e. white cell counts, lymph ocyte subsets, delayed-type hypersensitivity and polymorphonuclear leu cocyte functions, were evaluated in 42 patients suffering from cutaneo us superficial mycoses and in 35 healthy volunteers. Patients were div ided according to the extent of their lesions into two groups: group A (30 patients) with skin involvement greater than or equal to 30% and group B (12 patients) with skin involvement less than or equal to 1%. No significant abnormalities in systemic defence mechanisms were obser ved in group B patients, whereas multiple alterations of polymorphonuc lear phagocyte activities, i.e. chemotaxis, phagocytosis, mitogen-indu ced superoxide anion production, were observed in patients with extens ive lesions. The values of these phagocytic functions remained signifi cantly reduced (P<0.01) in these patients after recovery and during a 6-month follow-up period.