[Information value of the indices of the nonspecific resistance of the body].

A number of nonspecific resistance characteristics in mice, such as the total number of peritoneal exudate cells, the percentage and absolute number of macrophages, their cytochemical activity in the spontaneous tetrazolium test and cytochemical capacity, have been studied by comparison with the resistance of the animals to tularemia infection induced by Francisella tularensis, Gaĭskiĭ's vaccinal strain 15. Of these characteristics, the cytochemical capacity of peritoneal exudate macrophages, i.e. the total cytochemical activity of macrophages contained in a unit of volume, has been the most informative as regards the level of nonspecific resistance to this infection. Other characteristics under study cannot serve as criteria for the evaluation of the nonspecific resistance of the body to F. tularensis.