The Depressant Effect of Cigarette Smoke on the in Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Alveolar Macrophages

CIGARETTE smoking has been recognized as "... the most important of the causes of chronic bronchitis. ..."1 Although knowledge of the pathogenic mechanisms of this relation is incomplete it is clear that cigarette smoke produces a variety of morphologic and physiologic changes in the lung. The association of both cigarette smoking and an increased susceptibility to bacterial infection with chronic bronchitis suggests that cigarette smoke directly inhibits antibacterial mechanisms of the bronchopulmonary tree.Defense of the lung against inhaled bacteria is achieved by the mechanism of bacterial clearance.2 A heavy dose of cigarette smoke inhibits bacterial clearance in mice.3 The . . .