Leucocyte migration agarose test to study cell-mediated immunity in amoebiasis.

The leucocyte migration agarose test (LMAT) was used to measure quantitatively the magnitude of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in 35 patients with amoebic liver abscess and 22 healthy controls. LMAT was positive in 65.7% and 85.7% of patients with amoebiasis in the presence of 200 microgram and 400 microgram of the amoeba extract respectively, whereas the test in all 22 healthy controls was negative. Time course studies showed that within 10 days after the onset of clinical illness, only 1 of 4 patients was positive. Thereafter the percentage positivity was raised, especially when 400 microgram antigen was used. Maximum CMI response was apparent between 31-60 days after the onset of clinical illness. The indirect haemagglutination (IHA) test showed that all patients and 5 of 22 healthy controls were positive. These was no correlation between IHA titers and the magnitude of LMAT reaction.