In vitro culture of leukocytes from patients with sarcoidosis: in search of an "in vitro Kveim test".

Mononuclear cells from patients with sarcoidosis respond to Kveim tissue suspensions in vivo and from granulomas. We attempted to develop an in vitro Kveim test by adding Kveim material to monocytes and lymphocytes from patients with sarcoidosis and observing the cells in tissue culture. Sarcoid leukocytes were grown in culture with either Kveim suspensions (100 microgram/ml), control human spleen extract (100 microgram/ml) or no foreign antigen. After 7 to 9 days, we counted the number of cells adherent to glass, the number of cells with nucleoli, and the number of giant cells. Despite equal monocyte inocula, cultures of sarcoid leukocytes consistently had more cells adherent to glass than did cultures from normal donors regardless of whether Kveim, spleen, or no antigen was added to the cultures. There were no significant differences in giant cell formation or in the number of cells with nucleoli in the sarcoid compared with the control cultures.