[Capacity of mononuclear cells to produce a factor that promotes E-rosette formation in different clinical forms of erysipelas].

The author has examined the capacity of mononuclear cells in peripheral blood samples obtained from erysipelas patients for the in vitro secretion of E-rosette formation promoting factor (E-RPF) in response to polyclonal stimulation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) P or antigenic stimulation with hemolytic streptococcal allergen. At the acute stage of the disease, mononuclear cells spontaneously secreted E-RPF in a half of the examined patients; at the same time, a statistically significant decrease in the PHA-induced secretion of E-RPF was observed, especially in patients with the primary bullous form and relapses of erysipelas. The optimum lymphokine production in response to PHA in patients with primary erysipelas was observed simultaneously with a low level of spontaneous lymphokine production, while in relapses it was significantly suppressed at all levels of the spontaneous secretion of E-RPF. The antigen-stimulated secretion of E-RPF was observed more frequently in patients with primary bullous erysipelas, while in bullous relapses it was completely absent. At the early stage of convalescence the intensity of the spontaneous secretion of E-RPF decreased, while the PHA-induced secretion of E-RPF enhanced. In relapses the secretion of E-RPF in response to stimulation with the specific allergen remained at a low level, while in convalescents having had primary erysipelas the level of this secretion was high. These data indicate that mononuclear cells in the peripheral blood essentially differ in their capacity to secrete E-RPF in response to polyclonal and antigenic stimulation in various clinical forms of erysipelas.