"Foreign serum" heterophile antibodies in patients receiving antithymocyte antisera.

Forty-six patients with venous immunosickness” variety. The heterophile antibody logically mediated or lymphoproliferative was composed of a mixture of gamma G diseases received goat antihuman thymoand gamma M antibodies and was partially cyte antisera globulin (ATG) therapy. absorbed by ATG. Serum sickness did not Heterophile antibody production occurred occur in any of these patients, in spite of in 91 % of these patients, following ATG the production of heterophile antibodies. It administration. The heterophile antibody is recommended that the involved heterowas absorbable with both guinea pig kidgenetic antigen be termed “foreign serum” ney and boiled beef erythrocyte antigens. variety, and the resulting antibody deThis corresponds to a form of heterophile scnbed as a “foreign serum” type of hetantibody previously reported as a “serum erophile antibody.