Bacterial phagocytosis by macrophages from lipopolysaccharide responder and nonresponder mouse strains.

The phagocytic capacity of macrophages from C3H/H3J mice was assessed against lipopolysaccharide-producing (Escherichia coli) and -nonproducing (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Despite their gene-coded unresponsiveness to lipopolysaccharide endotoxin and lymphokines and their defective tumoricidal activity, proteose peptone-induced C3H/HeJ macrophages did not display a defective phagocytic capacity, but rather displayed an enhanced phagocytosis of both bacterial strains compared with macrophages from closely related C3H/HeN mice. Unstimulated peritoneal resident C3H/HeJ macrophages, on the other hand, displayed a normal phagocytic activity toward E. coli and enhanced phagocytosis toward S. aureus.