In article <199712170312.WAA11142 at pop.cybernex.net>, yersinia at CYBERNEX.NET
(Yersinia) wrote:
>John Cherwonogrodzky writes,
>> Cases of the flesh-eating disease (proteolytic streptococci?) are in the
> news recently. If the disease hits people with poor immunity, can doses
>of Gamma Globulin (collection of antibodies from generally resistant
>population)
>prevent the disease?>
>>Passive artificial immunization - the injection of antibodies made by a
>person who is immune to a disease into a person who is ill with that
>disease - was a method of treatment used against infectious bacterial
>diseases in the pre-antibiotic era. While the donor's antibodies reacted
>successfully with the pathogenic organisms, the recipients often came
>down with "serum sickness" because they produced antibodies of their own
>against the antibiodies they had received. Perhaps it might work in
>patients who totally lack immune function (or are close to that point) -
>they probably wouldn't get the serum sickness - but since antibodies
>have a limited life span, they might have to continue to receive
>injections of donor antibodies until the infection was neutralized.
>>Good question, this is really interesting. Does anyone out there know if
>any studies have been done with passive artificial immunization in AIDS
>patients?
Yup:
Gauduin MC, et al.
Passive immunization with a human monoclonal antibody protects hu-PBL-SCID
mice against challenge by primary isolates of HIV-1.
Nat Med. 1997 Dec 1; 3(12): 1389-1393.
Vox Sang 1997;73(3):149-154
Virological and immunological data of AIDS patients
treated by passive immunotherapy (transfusions of
plasma rich in HIV-1 antibodies).
Morand-Joubert L, Vittecoq D, Roudot-Thoraval F, Mariotti M, Lefrere F,
Heshmati F, Audat F, Lambin P, Barre-Sinoussi F, Lefrere JJ
Karpas A.
J Infect Dis 1994 Sep;170(3):742-744
Passive immunotherapy in treatment of advanced human
immunodeficiency virus infection.
Among others. Passive immunization with gamma globulin is a slo astandard
treatment for rabies.
