Correlative studies of blastogenic responses and interleukin 1 production by mononuclear cells from patients with zoopathogenic fungal infections

The production of interleukin 1 (IL 1) by adherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was quantitated in 16 individuals infected with Histoplasma capsulatum or Blastomyces dermatitidis and 16 age-matched controls. In parallel, we measured blastogenic responses to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) by PBMC from patients and controls. Of the 16 patients, six had pulmonary histoplasmosis, six had disseminated histoplasmosis, two had pulmonary blastomycosis, and two had disseminated blastomycosis. At the time of study, none of the patients were receiving immunosuppressive agents or had an underlying debilitating illness. Proliferative responses by PBMC from patients to PHA were significantly (P less than 0.05) less than the mean response by PBMC from an equal number of controls. In the 16 controls, the increase in secretion of IL 1 by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated adherent cells over unstimulated cells ranged from 18 to 40 units of IL 1 activity per 10(5) adherent cells. The increment in IL 1 levels between LPS-stimulated adherent PBMC and unstimulated cells was diminished (less than 18 units of IL 1 activity per 10(5) adherent cells) in five of the 16 patients. Diminished IL 1 secretion in response to LPS was associated with impaired PHA responses in four of 10 patients.