['Previous studies from this laboratory reported that suppression of cell-mediated immune function was coincident with elevated interleukin (IL)-6 production after acute ethanol exposure before burn trauma, compared with either insult alone. The goal of this study was to investigate whether treatment with an anti-IL-6 antibody could restore immunocompetence in mice subjected to burn trauma with previous exposure to alcohol, as assessed by delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) and mitogen-induced splenocyte proliferative responses.', 'Mice given an ethanol treatment designed to reach a blood alcohol level of 100 mg/dl before a 15% total body surface area burn injury were treated with an anti-IL-6 antibody at 30 min and 24 hr postinjury.', 'Burn/ethanol mice exhibited a 91% suppression of the DTH response ( < 0.01) and a 76% suppression of mitogen-induced splenocyte proliferation (p < 0.01) at 48 hr postinjury, along with increased levels of circulating and splenic macrophage-derived IL-6, compared with all other treatment groups. After anti-IL-6 antibody administration to burn/ethanol mice, there was a 25% (p < 0.05) and 63% (p < 0.01) recovery of the DTH and splenocyte proliferative responses, respectively. Addition of exogenous IL-6 to splenocyte cultures isolated from anti-IL-6 antibody-treated burn/ethanol mice resulted in a 70% inhibition of mitogen-induced proliferative responses (p < 0.03).'] Does anti-interleukin-6 antibody treatment restore cell-mediated immune function in mice with acute ethanol exposure before burn trauma?