Epstein-Barr virus infections in hairy cell leukemia patients in the presence of complement-dependent neutralizing antibody.
Immune system status was characterized in patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL) with respect to explaining their chronic or recurrent infections with Epstein-Barr virus. Measures of cellular immune responsiveness for a group of 11 HCL patients were, in general, decreased when expressed as the proportion of tested patients with values less than 2 S.D. below mean values for a group of 17 healthy adults: T-cell enumeration, seven of 13; mitogen responsiveness of phytohemagglutinin, 10 of 11; concanavalin A, 10 of 11; pokeweed mitogen, 10 of 11; B-cell responsiveness by anti-immunoglobulin immunobead stimulation, two of six; responsiveness to streptolysin O antigen, four of seven; mixed-lymphocyte reaction, six of seven; natural killer cell activity, six of eight. Specific immunity to Epstein-Barr virus was measured by complement-independent, antibody-mediated virus neutralization (mean index for HCL patients being 56% of control value) and complement-dependent virus neutralization (98% of control value). We concluded that, in spite of depressed levels of immune responses measured with general, cellular assays, functional levels of complement-dependent virus-neutralizing antibody were present in these HCL patients.
Sairenji
T
T
Sullivan
J L
JL
Sakamoto
K
K
Spiro
R C
RC
Katayama
I
I
Humphreys
R E
RE
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D007943:Leukemia, Hairy Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D009500:Neutralization Tests
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D003165:Complement System Proteins