Low frequency of observed anti-HLA among transfused preterm infants.
BACKGROUND
Although low-birth-weight infants (LBWI) often receive multiple transfusions, there is controversial information on their development of antibodies against WBCs or platelets.


METHODS
A total of 52 LBWI with birth weights less than 1500 g were randomly assigned to receive either RBCs that had been WBC- reduced (n = 25) or nonfiltered blood (n = 27). Serum samples collected from 37 infants at 3 months of age and from 30 children when they were 5 to 11 years old were tested. Anti-HLA was assayed with an anti-human globulin-augmented lymphocytotoxicity test against a panel consisting of 13 lymphocytes and against parental cells.


RESULTS
None of 52 transfused LBWI of either group developed anti-HLA (95% CI, 0%-6.8% for overall, 0%-13.7% for the WBC-reduced group, and 0%-12.7% for the nonfiltered group).


CONCLUSIONS
Multiply transfused LBWI rarely produced antibodies to HLA of blood donors and to noninherited maternal antigens. The benefits of WBC reduction to prevent HLA alloimmunization during infancy were not supported by this study and need further investigation.
Ishibashi
Naohisa
N
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Division of Blood Transfusion and Transplantation Immunology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
Ohto
Hitoshi
H
Ujiie
Niro
N
Ariga
Hiromichi
H
Ishii
Tsutomu
T
Suzuki
Hitoshi
H
D001803:Blood Transfusion; D002648:Child; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000276:immunology*; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D007937:Leukapheresis
D006680:HLA Antigens; D007518:Isoantibodies