CELL-MEDIATED IMMUNITY TO TISSUE ANTIGENS IN THE PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LIVER DISEASES AS EVALUATED BY LEUKOCYTE MIGRATION TEST

I. Leukocyte Migration Test to Hepatocyte Membrane Antigen in the Patients with Lupoid Hepatitis and Active Chronic Hepatitis, with Special Reference to HB Virus Infection

Abstract

Cell-mediated immunity to hepatocyte membrane antigen (h.m.ag.) isolated by Meyer's method was evaluated by leukocyte migration tests (LMTs) with the antigen in 50 patients with chronic active liver diseases (CALD), including 8 lupoid hepatitis, in 31 patients with non-CALD and in 5 asymptomatic HBsAg carriers.
Positive LMTs were obtained in 59.5% of the patients with CALD and 81.2% of these patients with positive LMTs had the evidence of hepatitis B virus infection.
The patients with non-CALD demonstrated positive LMTs in 29.0% and 75.0% of the latter patients had also the evidence of hepatitis B virus infection.
These findings suggest that cell-mediated immunity to h.m.ag. and hepatitis B virus infection would be closely related each other.
By contrast, positive LMTs were encountered in 7 out of 8 patients with lupoid hepatitis, and no evidence of hepatitis B virus infection was demonstrated in 4 out of these 7 patients.