Effect of alcohol on chemotaxis, adherence and phagocytosis of human polymorphonuclear leucocytes.

In view of the presumed increased susceptibility of chronic alcoholics to infectious diseases, the influence of alcohol in vitro on leucocyte adherence, neutrophil chemotaxis, phagocytosis and intracellular killing was investigated with highly standardized methods. A significant inhibitory influence on these leucocyte functions was found only at alcohol concentrations in excess of those obtained clinically. An interesting observation not reported before was increased adherence, phagocytosis and chemotaxis at low to moderate concentrations of alcohol.