Abnormal lymphocyte responses in residents of a town with a cluster of Hodgkin's disease.
A time-space aggregate of Hodgkin's disease was observed in a small town. A large elevator for the storage of navy beans was located in the residential area of the town. Lymphocytes of town residents compared to those of non-residents showed increased levels of transformations when challenged with extracts of navy beans. A phytohaemagglutinin from navy beans with the ability to stimulate lymphocytes was isolated and characterized. A hypothesis concerning a connection between this cluster of Hodgkin's disease and the abnormal lymphocyte responses to navy-bean phytohaemagglutinin is discussed.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D008875:Middle Aged; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D037121:Plant Lectins; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D013029:Space-Time Clustering; D013997:Time Factors
D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D037121:Plant Lectins