COMPARISON OF CELLULAR-RESPONSES IN SINGLE-LESION AND MULTIPLE-LESIONNEUROCYSTICERCOSIS

Leucocytes from 14 cases of neurocysticercosis who had multiple lesion s showed a significantly lower level of chemotaxis than those from hea lthy controls [with mean (S.D.) movements of 49.86 (15.0) and 89.1 (12 .9) mu m, respectively; P < 0.05). In contrast, the leucocytes from 14 cases with single lesions had similar chemotactic responses to the co ntrols. Although the level of lymphoproliferation stimulated with phyt ohaemagglutinin, a measure of T-lymphocyte function, was also consider ably less using cells from the multiple-lesion cases than when cells f rom the single-lesion cases were used, the difference was not statisti cally significant [0.644 (0.248) of control values v. 0.463 (0.317); P < 0.1]. Flow cytometry indicated that the total numbers of CD4 cells and CD4/CD8 ratios in all blood samples were normal. It therefore appe ars that, among neurocysticercosis patients, only those with multiple lesions have defective neutrophils and may also have dysfunctional lym phocytes.