Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of neutrophil chemotaxis in cystic fibrosis (CF) and to also determine whether an acute bacterial infection and the nutritional status of a child can affect neutrophil chemotaxis.
Methods: Twelve acutely infected and 12 clinically stable CF patients and 10 healthy age-matched controls were studied. Neutrophil chemotaxis and random migration were investigated in vitro in the peripheral blood of subjects by the Boyden chamber method and the results were expressed as chemotactic index (CI). The nutritional status of the cases was evaluated as body mass index (BMI).
Results: The CI values in the acutely infected group were found to be significantly lower than the clinically stable and healthy control groups (P < 0.05 and P < 0.005, respectively). There was no significant difference between the clinically stable CF group and the healthy control group (P > 0.1). No significant correlation was detected between the CI and BMI of the two groups of CF patients (P > 0.05).
Conclusions: The present study confirms that neutrophil chemotaxis and random migration are normal in clinically stable CF patients. The decreased CI in the acutely infected patients indicates the possible role of infection itself on neutrophil chemotaxis.