The Effect of Deficiencies of Thiamine, Pyridoxine and Pantothenic Acid on the Macrophages of the Rat

Abstract

Summary The effect of a diet deficient in either pantothenic acid, pyridoxine or thiamine on the leukocytes of rats has been studied. A leukopenia with lymphopenia was found in all deficiency states. There were fewer leukocytes in the peritoneal cavity of deficient animals. Macrophages in cell culture from normal and deficient rats destroyed the avirulent E. coli and prevented any intracellular survivors from multiplying. Macrophages in cell culture from normal animals destroyed more virulent S. typhimurium than deficient cells. The survivors, however, multiplied more rapidly within normal mononuclear cells. The effect of these findings on the resistance of rats to S. typhimurium, a pathogen of these animals, is discussed.