ABSTRACT
Examination of 255 patients with different pyo-inflammatory and septic diseases revealed high effectiveness of the detection of staphylococcal infection by the determination of antigen-binding lymphocytes (ABL) in the indirect rosette-formation test with the use of specially designed staphylococcal erythrocytes immune reagents. ABL were detected in 63% of the examined patients, their content varied between 0.57% and 6.41% (which was, on the average, equal to 1.92 +/- 0.10%). The effectiveness of the method depended on the specificity of the staphylococcal reagent used in the test and on the time of examination of the patients. In patients with acute processes the determination of ABL permitted the diagnosis of staphylococcal infection before the activity of the corresponding serum antibodies could be measured. ABL were classified with T, B and "zero" populations of lymphocytes.