The effect of various leishmanial preparations on the chemiluminescent response (CR) of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) was studied. Almost no CR was observed with PMN stimulated with either Leishmania promastigotes or their excreted factors (EFs). Promastigotes added to PMN stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), at a proportion of 20 to 1, respectively inhibited approximately 80-83% of the CR activity. Leishmanial promastigotes, whether live or dead, infective or non-infective as well as whole parasite homogenates, soluble and insoluble fractions, all decreased the CR of the PMN (PMN-CR). A similar effect was also observed with leishmanial EFs. The degree of inhibition was dose dependent and increasing the amount of EFs in the reaction mixture resulted in decrease of the PMN-CR. More than 80% of the total activity of the PMN-CR was inhibited by 500 micrograms EFs added at zero time to the reaction mixture. The inhibition of PMN-CR obtained from a patient suffering from a chronic infection caused by L. major was not significantly different from that observed with PMN from normal donors. The present study suggests that the PMN-CR is impaired by the Leishmania parasites and their EFs and thus may allow a greater survival of the parasites within these cells.