Impaired neutrophil locomotion during acute bacterial infections.

Neutrophils from patients with acute bacterial infections show a marked decrease in random as well as directional locomotion in vitro. The further analysis of the data suggests that defective directional locomotion is due to impaired locomotion and not to impaired chemotaxis. The defect disappeared almost completely with clinical recovery. There was no direct correlation between impaired directional neutrophil locomotion and the proportion of band forms in the neutrophil population. Plasma obtained from patients with acute bacterial infections showed no 'spontaneous' chemotactic activity and immune complex-induced cytotaxin formation was normal in vitro. Neutrophils from 2 patients with viral pneumonia showed normal locomotion.