Detection of hypersensitivity to drugs by lymphocyte cultures in drug-induced allergic hepatitis.

Fifty-three out of 70 patients with drug-induced liver injury showed an immunological response to the drug using either the lymphocyte transformation test or the macrophage migration inhibitory test (MI test) or both. Both the separated lymphocyte culture and the microvolume whole blood culture technique are available as assay methods. The latter method is simpler and the results of both methods are comparable. The administration of a synthetic copolymer of polyadenylic and polyuridylic acid (poly A:U) to the culture medium enhances the lymphocyte response to antigen and is therefore very useful to detect weak responses.