Anti‐Autologous Erythrocyte Plaque‐Forming Cells in Pregnancy

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Abstract
Peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) from 16 persons (6 Rh-sensitized pregnant women, 1 pregnant non-Rh-sensitized woman, 3 nonpregnant non-Rh-sensitized women and 6 non-Rh-sensitized males) were assayed for plaque-forming cells (PFC) against several erythrocyte targets. Six of 7 pregnant women had PFC, whereas only 1 of 6 males had PFC to autologous red cells. Antiautologous erythrocyte PFC in all of the pregnant Rh-sensitized women and the 1 nonpregnant multiparous woman may be the result of alloimmunization of mothers by their fetuses during gestation. Further studies in this area would be valuable in determining the immune status of a mother in relation to her fetus, and also would be of value in determining the consequences of that immune status on mother and fetus. Such information would also provide a further clue to the etiology of autoimmune disease.