Cold Lymphocytotoxins in Infections and Parasitic Infestations

Abstract

‘Cold’lymphocytotoxins were studied in sera of viral infections (mumps, influenza, rubella, herpes, infectious mononucleosis), Rickettsia and Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections and sera from infestations by toxoplasmosis, by endointestinal parasites and parasites with tissue migration. All sera positive at + 37° C were eliminated. A score was established in order to compare the sera with each other. The frequency of ‘cold’cytotoxins varies according to the type of infection under study. It is especially high in infectious mononucleosis, mumps, Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections and migrating parasite infestations. In these same disorders, the greatest number of high scores can be found (a single exception being the high scores in herpes). According to the serum, cold cytotoxins give every possible score for the same disease. Thus, it would seem that the same antibodies are always involved, but in varying degrees of strength.

HL‐A Antibodies and Cold Lymphocytotoxins

“…A study carried out with sera collected from individuals having parasitic or viral diseases enabled us to find antibodies for which there seems to be no HL-A specificity (Mayer et al 1973a). However, to avoid confusing these cold lymphocytotoxins with anti-HL-A antibodies, and bearing in mind the statement of Naito et al ( 1971) that the cold test is more sensitive than the regular test, we have stud-ied several anti-HGA sera at + 15' C and at +37' C on the HL-A phenotyped panel in order to see how anti-HL-A antibodies appear at f 1 5 ' c.…”