Depression of efficiency of neutrophils for Candida albicans phagocytosis in personnel working in radiation field

The neutrophil functions, chemotaxis (direct and random migration), phagocytosis using Candida albicans (percent, index), phagocytosis by NBT (percent, score) and adherence were studied on 55 persons working in radiation field (group I) and 40 persons as control (group II). The effect of radiation on blood picture of persons working in this field with special references to leucocytic counts and neutrophil functions was studied. White and red cells counts were 6.275 +- 1.723 and 5.475 +- 1.039 (group I) and 6.440 +- 1.556, 4.704 +- 0.734 for group II, respectively with no significant difference, while in neutrophil function there was a statistically significant difference in all functions between two groups (P < 0.01). This indicates the importance of neutrophil functions in following up persons working in radiation field