Oda, Megumi

Antibody activity, especially that involved in the reaction of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), of five commercially available human gammaglobulin preparations (standard, pepsin-treated, plasmin-treated, polyethylene glycol-fractionated and S-sulfonated gammaglobulin) was measured. All these gammaglobulin preparations had high titers of hemagglutination inhibition and neutralizing antibody against measles virus. In ADCC reaction, the pepsin-treated gammaglobulin preparation showed no antibody activity. The standard gammaglobulin preparation showed weak activity only when highly diluted. The remaining three preparations showed high activity. Though the S-sulfonated gammaglobulin preparation showed no activity in ADCC reaction, it showed high activity after reconversion by means of oxidation and reduction in vitro. The plasmin-treated gammaglobulin preparation showed greater activity than the polyethylene glycol-fractionated preparation of the optimal concentration. In ADCC tests using the plasmin-treated gammaglobulin preparation, K cell activity was strongly inhibited by Hg (thimerosal), while, in those using the standard gammaglobulin preparation, the activity was hardly influenced by Hg, suggesting that the low ADCC activity of the standard gammaglobulin preparation of high concentrations was due to the inhibitory effect of aggregated immunoglobulin G molecules.

Anti-Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibodies were tested in 11 children with chronic active EBV infection. Anti-virus capsid antigen (VCA)-IgG antibody titers ranged from 1:640 to 1:10,240. Anti-VCA-IgM antibody was consistently positive in 5 of the 11 patients; anti-VCA-IgA antibody was consistently positive in 6 of the 10 patients; anti-early antigen (EA)-IgG antibody was consistently positive in 10 of the 11 patients and anti-EA-IgA antibody was consistently positive in 4 out of the 7 patients. Anti-EBV nuclear antigen (EBNA) antibody was not detected in two patients. Consistently positive anti-VCA-IgA- and anti-EA-IgA- antibody may be a characteristic feature of abnormal antibody responses in severe chronic active EBV-infection in childhood.