PARTIAL IMMUNOLOGICAL RECONSTITUTION AND HYPERIMMUNOGLOBULINEMIA-E IN NEONATALLY-ACQUIRED GRAFT VERSUS HOST-DISEASE

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 44  (4) , 212-216
Abstract
A 3 mo. old girl with congenital immune deficiency developed graft vs. host disease following engraftment of maternal immunocompetent cells. T [thymus-derived] and B [bone marrow-derived] lymphocyte numbers increased and lymphocyte responsiveness to phytohemagglutinin normalized during the patient''s hospitalization. These cells failed to respond to pokeweed mitogen and several specific antigens, suggesting that the expanding clone of alloreactive cells had limited immunologic potential. Serum Ig[immunoglobulin]E concentration rose from an undetectable level of 2600 u[units]/ml, indicating an immunoregulatory imbalance. HLA typing revealed that the patient''s parents shared HLA antigen specificities. Experimental administration of antithymocyte globulin had no beneficial effect upon the patient''s clinical course or laboratory findings.