Tonsillar suppressors of killer cells in tonsillitis.

The authors studied the effect of tonsil cells obtained from intact and inflamed tonsils on spontaneous cytotoxicity of autologous blood leucocytes. It has been shown that addition of tonsil cells of patients with chronic tonsillitis and those of animals with experimental tonsillitis to blood cells with a high cytotoxic potential did not augment cytolysis of heteroerythrocytes but inhibited it. Meanwhile in the joint cultivation of tonsil cells of intact animals and children with tonsillar hypertrophy with autologous blood leucocytes the killer effect exceeded that seen in a separate use of these cells. The data presented in this article indicate that non-specific suppressors capable of inhibiting spontaneous killing may appear in tonsils in the course of inflammation.

Cytolytic activity of tonsil cells.

The ability of normal canine tonsil cells, and that of humans with chronic tonsillitis, to lyse heteroerythrocytes in vitro is shown. Heterologous erythrocyte destruction by tonsil cells is markedly increased after immunization of the animal. Tonsil cells of patients with chronic tonsillitis lyse the erythrocytes coated with streptococcus and staphylococcus antigens more actively. An experimental tonsillitis increases the ability of tonsils to lyse erythrocytes. Since cytolytic activity of tonsil cells is not altered by the removal of phagocytes and treatment with antiglobulin serum, one can presume that it is caused by T-lymphocytes.