Polymorphonuclear cell motility, ankylosing spondylitis

SUMMARY Polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN) function was studied in 29 subjects with ankylos-ing spondylitis (AS). Of these, 20 were HLA B27+ve and 9 B27- ve. There were 30 controls and, of these, 15 were B27+ve. Random and directed cell migration was measured by 2 techniques: migration through a micropore filter and migration under an agar film. The chemo-attractant was either casein-activated serum or zymosan-activated serum. By both techniques directed motility was increased in subjects with B27 or with AS when compared to the B27-ve controls. This suggests that the disease AS and the possession of B27 are both associated with increased PMN motility. In recent years several studies have suggested that patients suffering from HLA B27-related diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis or yersinia arthritis show altered cellular or immunological functions. These reports, although sometimes contradictory, are of particular interest in that they point to these altered functions being associated, not with the dis