Anti‐M in Children with Acute Bacterial Infections

Abstract

Four children, 7 to 24 months old, were found to have anti-M at the time of admission to the hospital for severe acute bacterial infections. All were M-N+. Two patients had meningitis, one had septic arthritis, and the fourth had a third-degree burn of the left hand. In follow-up studies the anti-M of patients No3 and No4 were no longer detectable after 12 and 11 months respectively. In all patients no demonstrable antibody was in either maternal or cord sera at time of birth. The clinical data and bacterial isolations lead us to postulate that bacterial infections account for the formation of naturally occurring anti-M in M-negative persons.

Does an alloimmune response to strong immunogenic red blood cell antigens enhance a response to weaker antigens?

“…Anti‐M in combination with other antibody specificities was found in only 5 percent of all anti‐M cases, which is considerably lower than for all other antibodies. It is known that anti‐M in most cases is not induced by transfusion, but occurs naturally as an antibody, especially in children, such as in 81 percent of our excluded patients younger than 12 years, and is possibly induced by infection 26 …”

“…It is known that anti-M in most cases is not induced by transfusion, but occurs naturally as an antibody, especially in children, such as in 81 percent of our excluded patients younger than 12 years, and is possibly induced by infection. 26 When the immune response to a strong immunogen enhances a response to a weaker immunogen, then antibodies to "weaker antigens" should be produced more often in combinations with antibodies against "strong antigens" than as single antibodies. In the current study, there was a trend for anti-c and anti-Jk b .…”

RBC alloantibody specificity and antigen potency in Olmsted County, Minnesota

“…The presence of a greater frequency of anti‐M in this group is not surprising, as this antibody has been seen with greater frequency in children than in adults 22 . This has been postulated to be due to bacterial infections within the pediatric age range 23 . Another explanation for the age distribution seen with anti‐M, as well as with anti‐P 1 and Lewis antibodies, could be that they are predominantly IgM.…”

Blood Groups in Infection and Host Susceptibility

“…Naturally occurring anti-M antibodies are benign and transient, resolving within a few months (571). Naturally occurring anti-M has been reported for Haemophilus influenzae type b, Proteus mirabilis, S. aureus, and Neisseria meningitides infections (571). The presence of an anti-N antibody in a patient with E. coli and S. aureus sepsis was recently reported (572).…”

“…The latter occurs almost exclusively in young children with acute bacterial infections. Naturally occurring anti-M antibodies are benign and transient, resolving within a few months (571). Naturally occurring anti-M has been reported for Haemophilus influenzae type b, Proteus mirabilis, S. aureus, and Neisseria meningitides infections (571).…”