Fetal Thymus Transplantations in Severe Combined Immunodeficiency

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Abstract
Two brothers with severe combined immunodeficiency were treated with repeated transplantations of fetal thymus tissue. The 1st patient was not treated until he was critically ill, and the i.m. transplants had no effect. He died at 11 mo. of age of overwhelming pneumonia. At postmortem examination, a transplanted thymus seemed viable. In the 2nd patient, an i.m. transplant had no effect, but 3 subsequent i.p. transplants led to transient increase in circulating T [thymus-derived] lymphocytes with a concomitant fall in B [bone marrow-derived] lymphocytes. The results suggested an additive effect of each transplant. Delayed hypersensitivity skin tests and in vitro mitogen responses were not influenced. Initially, transfer factor was given, and fetal liver was administered i.p. together with the last thymic transplant. Neither of these measures had any observed effect, and this patient, similarly, died of pneumonia at nearly 12 mo. of age.