Immune competence and diabetes mellitus: pyogenic human hand infections

Abstract

An unexpectedly high incidence of diabetes mellitus was found in 12 patients with pyogenic hand infections. Three patients had overt diabetes, four had latent diabetes, and only five were normal when tested after resolution of the acute inflamatory state. Cellular immunity, assessed in five patients by intradermal injections of common antigens and the topical application of the neoantigen, dinitrochlorobenzene, appeared to be grossly normal in all patients. If changes in immunity were present, it is likely that the skin tests were not sensitive enough to detect these alterations.