THE SPECIFICITY OF FETAL IgM: ANTIBODY OR ANTI-ANTIBODY?

Reference materials were produced to standardize the immunoglobulin class specificity and potency of immunofluorescent anti-IgM conjugates used for diagnostic tests for congenital syphilis. In attempting to mimic essential immunologic characteristics of syphilitic and nonsyphilitic infant sera, we e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1975-06, Vol.254 (1), p.77-93
Main Authors: Reimer, C. B., Black, C. M., Phillips, D. J., Logan, L. C., Hunter, E. F., Pender, B. J., McGrew, B. E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adsorption
Antibodies - analysis
Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic - analysis
Antibody Specificity
Chemical Fractionation
Female
Fetal Proteins
Fluorescent Antibody Technique
Humans
Immune Sera
Immunoglobulin G - isolation & purification
Immunoglobulin M - isolation & purification
Infant, Newborn
Latex Fixation Tests
Pregnancy
Syphilis Serodiagnosis
Syphilis, Congenital - diagnosis
Treponema pallidum - immunology
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Summary:Reference materials were produced to standardize the immunoglobulin class specificity and potency of immunofluorescent anti-IgM conjugates used for diagnostic tests for congenital syphilis. In attempting to mimic essential immunologic characteristics of syphilitic and nonsyphilitic infant sera, we evaluated these sera in comparison with processed adult sera. We were quite surprised to discover that some syphilitic babies do not produce significant quantities to IgM antibody to T. pallidum in response to their infection, as would be expected; instead, they make relatively large amounts of IgM anti-IgG. We found this to be true also for newborns and infants infected with cytomegalovirus, rubella, and toxoplasmosis. To our knowledge, this observation has not been previously reported. However, it could have been predicted from the knowledge that older infants and young children normally produce IgM antibodies to maternal IgG allotypes (Gm factors). We are disturbed that these findings suggest that currently recommended indirect immunofluorescence IgM tests for perinatal infection may not be disease specific. Our observations may be important for a better understanding of basic immunologic mechanisms of fetal-maternal to tolerance and fetal response to life-threatening infection.
ISSN:0077-8923
1749-6632
DOI:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1975.tb29159.x