INCREASED IN-VITRO NEUTROPHIL ADHERENCE IN A CASE OF CHRONIC IDIOPATHIC NEUTROPENIA

In this report we describe a patient with persistent neutropenia whose neutrophils showed increased adhesion in a microplate assay. In three separate assays, from 12.5% to 13.7% of the patient's blood neutrophils exhibited spontaneous (unstimulated) adhesion to fetal bovine serum-coated microplate wells, much higher than adhesion of cells from healthy controls (1.9% +/- 2.5 SD, n=20). The difference of spontaneous adhesion between the patient's and control neutrophils was even higher when cells from a skin-window exudate were examined (patient: 42.1-100% adhesion; control: 3.6% +/- 3.5 SD, n=20). Over 80% inhibition of the increased adhesion was produced by the 60.3 anti-CD 18 monoclonal antibody, suggesting an involvement of beta 2-integrins.