Ontogeny of antipig xenoantibody and hyperacute rejection.
BACKGROUND
Neonatal primates have been reported to receive pig hearts without hyperacute rejection (HAR). We examined the ontogeny of the anti-pig xenoantibody (XenoAb) and HAR in the neonatal and infant monkeys.


METHODS
Twenty-six serum samples from 15 monkeys ages 14-192 days were subjected to hemagglutination titration against pig erythrocytes. Ten pig hearts were heterotopically transplanted into the monkeys.


RESULTS
Six monkeys, ages 52-114 days, received pig hearts without HAR, and those ages 129-191 days hyperacutely rejected them. XenoAb titers were increased according to the age (Spearman's rank correlation value=0.909 (P<0.01)). XenoAb titers in 16 monkeys <4 months were significantly (P<0.01) lower than those in 10 monkeys >4 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Anti-pig XenoAb titers increased with the age of the monkeys. XenoAb levels in monkeys >4 months are high enough to reject pig hearts hyperacutely.
Kawauchi
M
M
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, JR Tokyo General Hospital, Japan. m.kawauchi@jrtokyohosp.gr.jp
Nakajima
J
J
Endoh
M
M
Oka
T
T
Takamoto
S
S
D000208:Acute Disease; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000910:Antibodies, Heterophile / Q000097:blood*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D008251:Macaca; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors; D016042:Transplantation, Heterotopic
D000910:Antibodies, Heterophile