Abstract
Quantitative and histochemical nitroblue tetrazolium reduction (NBT) tests were performed on leukocytes of 13 patients with polycythemia vera, seven with chronic granulocytic leukemia, eight with neoplastic disease associated with fever, 16 with bacterial infection, and 13 healthy control individuals. No significant differences were detected in the quantitative test between any of the groups studied. The histochemical NBT test was significantly higher than control in the patients with polycythemia vera and neoplasia associated with fever, as well as in those with known bacterial infection. It is suggested that patients with neoplasia or polycythemia vera may show a false positive reaction in the histochemical NBT test. Conversely, the test was significantly lower than control in patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia. Such patients might show a false negative reaction in the test even if infection were present.
