The study of phagocytic cell function in patients with susceptibility to serious bacterial infections will continue. The observation that peripheral blood monocytes from patients with cystic fibrosis have increased oxidative metabolism (measured by chemiluminescence) has led to increased emphasis on studies of this patient group. Preliminary studies suggest that chemiluminescence of monocytes stimulated by adherence to glass surfaces may be a method for detecting the carrier state in cystic fibrosis. The observations reported in this year's progress report on the effect of influenzae virus on metabolic responsiveness of human neutrophils and monocytes to particulate and non-particulate stimuli has prompted increased effort in studies on viral-phagocytic cell interaction. The planned studies include incubation of cytomegalovirus with neutrophils and monocytes. These studies will include observations on phagocytic cell function in animals with experimental viral infections.
