[Determination of the neutrophil function in the respiratory infection by chemiluminescence (CL). III: Changes in neutrophil and whole blood CL after chemotherapy against the acute respiratory infection].

: We measured the chemiluminescent activity (CL-index) in both the whole blood and isolated neutrophils from 12 patients with acute respiratory infection (7 cases; pneumonia, 4 cases; in the exacerbated phase, chronic lower tract infection, and one; acute bronchitis) two times per each case: before and after chemotherapy. Before the initiation of chemotherapy, neutrophil and whole blood CL was high but whole blood CL was higher. After the completion of chemotherapy, whole blood CL was decreased more significantly than neutrophil CL. There was no correlation between neutrophil CL and whole blood CL. However the neutrophil CL-index.N (neutrophil numbers x neutrophil CL-index) was correlated with the whole blood CL. Thus, we think the number of neutrophils is a critical factor for phagocytic function of neutrophils as determined by CL.