Passive immunity
Encyclopedia
Passive immunity is the transfer of active humoral immunity
in the form of readymade antibodies, from one individual to another. Passive immunity
can occur naturally, when maternal antibodies are transferred to the fetus through the placenta, and can also be induced artificially, when high levels of human
(or horse
) antibodies specific for a pathogen
or toxin
are transferred to non-immune
individuals. Passive immunization is used when there is a high risk of infection and insufficient time for the body to develop its own immune response, or to reduce the symptoms of ongoing or immunosuppressive
diseases.
-mediated immunity conveyed to a fetus
by its mother during pregnancy. Maternal antibodies (MatAb) are passed through the placenta
to the fetus by an FcRn receptor on placental cells. This occurs around the third month of gestation
. Immunoglobulin G is the only antibody isotype
that can pass through the placenta. Immunization is often required shortly following birth to prevent diseases such as tuberculosis
, hepatitis B, polio, and pertussis
, however, maternal antibodies can inhibit the induction of protective vaccine responses throughout the first year of life. This effect is usually overcome by secondary responses to booster immunization.
Passive immunity is also provided through the transfer of IgA
antibodies found in breast milk
that are transferred to the gut of the infant, protecting against bacterial infections, until the newborn can synthesize its own antibodies.
Artificially acquired passive immunity is a short-term immunization achieved by the transfer of antibodies, which can be administered in several forms; as human or animal blood plasma
or serum
, as pooled human immunoglobulin for intravenous (IVIG) or intramuscular (IG) use, as high-titer human IVIG or IG from immunized or from donors recovering from the disease, and as monoclonal antibodies
(MAb). Passive transfer is used prophylactically in the case of immunodeficiency
diseases, such as hypogammaglobulinemia
. It is also used in the treatment of several types of acute infection, and to treat poison
ing Immunity derived from passive immunization lasts for only a short period of time, and there is also a potential risk for hypersensitivity
reactions, and serum sickness
, especially from gamma globulin
of non-human origin. Passive immunity provides immediate protection, but the body does not develop memory, therefore the patient is at risk of being infected by the same pathogen later.
, who sought to harden himself against poison, and took daily sub-lethal doses of poison to build tolerance. Mithridates is also said to have fashioned a 'universal antidote' to protect him from all earthly poisons. For nearly 2000 years, poisons were thought to be the proximal cause of disease, and a complicated mixture of ingredients, called Mithridate
, was used to cure poisoning during the Renaissance
. An updated version, Theriacum Andromachi, was used well into the 19th century.
In 1888 Emile Roux and Alexandre Yersin
isolated diphtheria toxin
, and following the 1890 discovery of an antitoxin
based immunity to diphtheria
and tetanus
, by Emil Adolf von Behring
and Kitasato Shibasaburō
, and antitoxin became the first major success of modern therapeutic Immunology.
The artificial induction of passive immunity has been used for over a century to treat infectious disease, and prior to the advent of antibiotics, was often the only specific agents available to treat certain infections. Immunoglobulin therapy was continued to be a first line therapy in the treatment of severe respiratory disease
s until the 1930’s, even after sulfonamides were introduced.
In 1890 antibody therapy was used to treat tetanus
, when serum from immunized horses was injected into patients with severe tetanus in an attempt to neutralize the tetanus toxin, and prevent the dissemination of the disease. Since the 1960’s, human tetanus immune globulin (TIG) has been used in the United States in un-immunized or incompletely immunized patients who have sustained wounds consistent with the development of tetanus. The administration of horse antitoxin
remains the only specific pharmacologic treatment available for botulism
. Antitoxin is often also given prophylactically to individuals known to have ingested contaminated food. IVIG treatment was also used successfully to treat several victims of toxic shock syndrome
, during the 1970’s tampon scare.
Antibody therapy is also used to treat viral infections. In 1945, hepatitis A
infections, epidemic in summer camps, were successfully prevented by immunoglobulin treatment. Similarly, hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) effectively prevents Hepatitis B infection. Antibody prophylaxis of both Hepatitis A and B has largely been supplanted by the introduction of vaccines however it is still indicated following exposure and prior to travel areas of endemic infection.
In 1953, human vaccinia
immunoglobulin (VIG) was used to prevent the spread of smallpox
during an outbreak in Madras, India, and continues to be used to treat complications arising from smallpox vaccination. Although the prevention of measles
is typically induced through vaccination, it is often treated immuno-prophylactically upon exposure. Prevention of rabies
infection still requires the use of both vaccine and immunoglobulin treatments.
During a 1995 Ebola
virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whole blood from recovering patients, and containing anti-Ebola antibodies, was used to treat eight patients, as no effective means of prevention or treatment currently exists. Only one of the eight infected patients died, compared to a typical 80% Ebola mortality, which suggested that antibody treatment may contribute to survival. Immunoglobulin has been used to both prevent and treat reactivation of the herpes simplex virus
(HSV), varicella zoster virus
, Epstein-Barr virus
(EBV), and cytomegalovirus
(CMV).
prophylaxis and immunotherapy
, in the United States.
(matched) donors, which are often difficult to find, and carries severe risks of graft versus host disease. This technique has been used in humans to treat certain diseases including some types of cancer
and immunodeficiency
. However, this specialized form of passive immunity is most often used in a laboratory setting in the field of Immunology
, to transfer immunity between "congenic
", or deliberately inbred
mouse strains which are histocompatible.
Humoral immunity
The Humoral Immune Response is the aspect of immunity that is mediated by secreted antibodies produced in the cells of the B lymphocyte lineage . B Cells transform into plasma cells which secrete antibodies...
in the form of readymade antibodies, from one individual to another. Passive immunity
Immunity (medical)
Immunity is a biological term that describes a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion. Immunity involves both specific and non-specific components. The non-specific components act either as barriers or as eliminators of wide...
can occur naturally, when maternal antibodies are transferred to the fetus through the placenta, and can also be induced artificially, when high levels of human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
(or horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
) antibodies specific for a pathogen
Pathogen
A pathogen gignomai "I give birth to") or infectious agent — colloquially, a germ — is a microbe or microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, prion, or fungus that causes disease in its animal or plant host...
or toxin
Toxin
A toxin is a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms; man-made substances created by artificial processes are thus excluded...
are transferred to non-immune
Immune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
individuals. Passive immunization is used when there is a high risk of infection and insufficient time for the body to develop its own immune response, or to reduce the symptoms of ongoing or immunosuppressive
Immunosuppression
Immunosuppression involves an act that reduces the activation or efficacy of the immune system. Some portions of the immune system itself have immuno-suppressive effects on other parts of the immune system, and immunosuppression may occur as an adverse reaction to treatment of other...
diseases.
Naturally acquired passive immunity
Maternal passive immunity is a type of naturally acquired passive immunity, and refers to antibodyAntibody
An antibody, also known as an immunoglobulin, is a large Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique part of the foreign target, termed an antigen...
-mediated immunity conveyed to a fetus
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
by its mother during pregnancy. Maternal antibodies (MatAb) are passed through the placenta
Placenta
The placenta is an organ that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall to allow nutrient uptake, waste elimination, and gas exchange via the mother's blood supply. "True" placentas are a defining characteristic of eutherian or "placental" mammals, but are also found in some snakes and...
to the fetus by an FcRn receptor on placental cells. This occurs around the third month of gestation
Gestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
. Immunoglobulin G is the only antibody isotype
Isotype
Isotype can refer to:* In crystallography, an "isotype" is a synonym for isomorph* In biology, per the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, the "isotype" is a duplicate of the holotype....
that can pass through the placenta. Immunization is often required shortly following birth to prevent diseases such as tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, hepatitis B, polio, and pertussis
Pertussis
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough , is a highly contagious bacterial disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. Symptoms are initially mild, and then develop into severe coughing fits, which produce the namesake high-pitched "whoop" sound in infected babies and children when they inhale air...
, however, maternal antibodies can inhibit the induction of protective vaccine responses throughout the first year of life. This effect is usually overcome by secondary responses to booster immunization.
Passive immunity is also provided through the transfer of IgA
IGA
Iga or IGA may stand for:-Given name:* a female given name of Polish origin. The name originates from the female given name Jadwiga and stands for gia,or gina in the USA....
antibodies found in breast milk
Breast milk
Breast milk, more specifically human milk, is the milk produced by the breasts of a human female for her infant offspring...
that are transferred to the gut of the infant, protecting against bacterial infections, until the newborn can synthesize its own antibodies.
Artificially acquired passive immunity
see also: Temporarily-induced immunityArtificially acquired passive immunity is a short-term immunization achieved by the transfer of antibodies, which can be administered in several forms; as human or animal blood plasma
Blood plasma
Blood plasma is the straw-colored liquid component of blood in which the blood cells in whole blood are normally suspended. It makes up about 55% of the total blood volume. It is the intravascular fluid part of extracellular fluid...
or serum
Blood serum
In blood, the serum is the component that is neither a blood cell nor a clotting factor; it is the blood plasma with the fibrinogens removed...
, as pooled human immunoglobulin for intravenous (IVIG) or intramuscular (IG) use, as high-titer human IVIG or IG from immunized or from donors recovering from the disease, and as monoclonal antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies are monospecific antibodies that are the same because they are made by identical immune cells that are all clones of a unique parent cell....
(MAb). Passive transfer is used prophylactically in the case of immunodeficiency
Immunodeficiency
Immunodeficiency is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent. Immunodeficiency may also decrease cancer immunosurveillance. Most cases of immunodeficiency are acquired but some people are born with defects in their immune system,...
diseases, such as hypogammaglobulinemia
Hypogammaglobulinemia
Hypogammaglobulinemia is a type of immune disorder characterized by a reduction in all types of gamma globulins.Hypogammaglobulinemia is a characteristic of common variable immunodeficiency.-Terminology:...
. It is also used in the treatment of several types of acute infection, and to treat poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
ing Immunity derived from passive immunization lasts for only a short period of time, and there is also a potential risk for hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity refers to undesirable reactions produced by the normal immune system, including allergies and autoimmunity. These reactions may be damaging, uncomfortable, or occasionally fatal. Hypersensitivity reactions require a pre-sensitized state of the host. The four-group classification...
reactions, and serum sickness
Serum sickness
Serum sickness in humans is a reaction to proteins in antiserum derived from an non-human animal source. It is a type of hypersensitivity, specifically immune complex hypersensitivity . The term serum sickness–like reaction is occasionally used to refer to similar illnesses that arise from the...
, especially from gamma globulin
Gamma globulin
Gamma globulins are a class of globulins, identified by their position after serum protein electrophoresis. The most significant gamma globulins are immunoglobulins , more commonly known as antibodies, although some Igs are not gamma globulins, and some gamma globulins are not Igs.-Use as medical...
of non-human origin. Passive immunity provides immediate protection, but the body does not develop memory, therefore the patient is at risk of being infected by the same pathogen later.
History and applications of artificial passive immunity
The birth of passive immunotherapy may have begun with Mithridates VI of PontusMithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI or Mithradates VI Mithradates , from Old Persian Mithradatha, "gift of Mithra"; 134 BC – 63 BC, also known as Mithradates the Great and Eupator Dionysius, was king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 BC to 63 BC...
, who sought to harden himself against poison, and took daily sub-lethal doses of poison to build tolerance. Mithridates is also said to have fashioned a 'universal antidote' to protect him from all earthly poisons. For nearly 2000 years, poisons were thought to be the proximal cause of disease, and a complicated mixture of ingredients, called Mithridate
Mithridate
Mithridate, also known as mithridatium, mithridatum, or mithridaticum, is a semi-mythical remedy with as many as 65 ingredients, used as an antidote for poisoning, and said to be created by Mithradates VI Eupator of Pontus in the 1st century BC...
, was used to cure poisoning during the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
. An updated version, Theriacum Andromachi, was used well into the 19th century.
Alexandre Yersin
Alexandre Emile Jean Yersin was a Swiss and French physician and bacteriologist. He is remembered as the co-discoverer of the bacillus responsible for the bubonic plague or pest, which was later re-named in his honour .Yersin was born in 1863 in Aubonne, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, to a family...
isolated diphtheria toxin
Diphtheria toxin
Diphtheria toxin is an exotoxin secreted by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the pathogen bacterium that causes diphtheria. Unusually, the toxin gene is encoded by a bacteriophage...
, and following the 1890 discovery of an antitoxin
Antitoxin
An antitoxin is an antibody with the ability to neutralize a specific toxin. Antitoxins are produced by certain animals, plants, and bacteria. Although they are most effective in neutralizing toxins, they can kill bacteria and other microorganisms. Antitoxins are made within organisms, but can be...
based immunity to diphtheria
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
and tetanus
Tetanus
Tetanus is a medical condition characterized by a prolonged contraction of skeletal muscle fibers. The primary symptoms are caused by tetanospasmin, a neurotoxin produced by the Gram-positive, rod-shaped, obligate anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani...
, by Emil Adolf von Behring
Emil Adolf von Behring
Emil Adolf von Behring was a German physiologist who received the 1901 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the first one so awarded.-Biography:...
and Kitasato Shibasaburō
Kitasato Shibasaburō
Baron was a Japanese physician and bacteriologist. He is remembered as the co-discoverer of the infectious agent of bubonic plague in Hong Kong in 1894, almost simultaneously with Alexandre Yersin.-Biography:...
, and antitoxin became the first major success of modern therapeutic Immunology.
The artificial induction of passive immunity has been used for over a century to treat infectious disease, and prior to the advent of antibiotics, was often the only specific agents available to treat certain infections. Immunoglobulin therapy was continued to be a first line therapy in the treatment of severe respiratory disease
Respiratory disease
Respiratory disease is a medical term that encompasses pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange possible in higher organisms, and includes conditions of the upper respiratory tract, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, pleura and pleural cavity, and the...
s until the 1930’s, even after sulfonamides were introduced.
In 1890 antibody therapy was used to treat tetanus
Tetanus
Tetanus is a medical condition characterized by a prolonged contraction of skeletal muscle fibers. The primary symptoms are caused by tetanospasmin, a neurotoxin produced by the Gram-positive, rod-shaped, obligate anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani...
, when serum from immunized horses was injected into patients with severe tetanus in an attempt to neutralize the tetanus toxin, and prevent the dissemination of the disease. Since the 1960’s, human tetanus immune globulin (TIG) has been used in the United States in un-immunized or incompletely immunized patients who have sustained wounds consistent with the development of tetanus. The administration of horse antitoxin
Antitoxin
An antitoxin is an antibody with the ability to neutralize a specific toxin. Antitoxins are produced by certain animals, plants, and bacteria. Although they are most effective in neutralizing toxins, they can kill bacteria and other microorganisms. Antitoxins are made within organisms, but can be...
remains the only specific pharmacologic treatment available for botulism
Botulism
Botulism also known as botulinus intoxication is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulinum toxin which is metabolic waste produced under anaerobic conditions by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and affecting a wide range of mammals, birds and fish...
. Antitoxin is often also given prophylactically to individuals known to have ingested contaminated food. IVIG treatment was also used successfully to treat several victims of toxic shock syndrome
Toxic shock syndrome
Toxic shock syndrome is a potentially fatal illness caused by a bacterial toxin. Different bacterial toxins may cause toxic shock syndrome, depending on the situation. The causative bacteria include Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes...
, during the 1970’s tampon scare.
Antibody therapy is also used to treat viral infections. In 1945, hepatitis A
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus , an RNA virus, usually spread the fecal-oral route; transmitted person-to-person by ingestion of contaminated food or water or through direct contact with an infectious person...
infections, epidemic in summer camps, were successfully prevented by immunoglobulin treatment. Similarly, hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) effectively prevents Hepatitis B infection. Antibody prophylaxis of both Hepatitis A and B has largely been supplanted by the introduction of vaccines however it is still indicated following exposure and prior to travel areas of endemic infection.
In 1953, human vaccinia
Vaccinia
Vaccinia virus is a large, complex, enveloped virus belonging to the poxvirus family. It has a linear, double-stranded DNA genome approximately 190 kbp in length, and which encodes for approximately 250 genes. The dimensions of the virion are roughly 360 × 270 × 250 nm, with a mass of...
immunoglobulin (VIG) was used to prevent the spread of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
during an outbreak in Madras, India, and continues to be used to treat complications arising from smallpox vaccination. Although the prevention of measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
is typically induced through vaccination, it is often treated immuno-prophylactically upon exposure. Prevention of rabies
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
infection still requires the use of both vaccine and immunoglobulin treatments.
During a 1995 Ebola
Ebola
Ebola virus disease is the name for the human disease which may be caused by any of the four known ebolaviruses. These four viruses are: Bundibugyo virus , Ebola virus , Sudan virus , and Taï Forest virus...
virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whole blood from recovering patients, and containing anti-Ebola antibodies, was used to treat eight patients, as no effective means of prevention or treatment currently exists. Only one of the eight infected patients died, compared to a typical 80% Ebola mortality, which suggested that antibody treatment may contribute to survival. Immunoglobulin has been used to both prevent and treat reactivation of the herpes simplex virus
Herpes simplex virus
Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 , also known as Human herpes virus 1 and 2 , are two members of the herpes virus family, Herpesviridae, that infect humans. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 are ubiquitous and contagious...
(HSV), varicella zoster virus
Varicella zoster virus
Varicella zoster virus is one of eight herpes viruses known to infect humans . It commonly causes chicken-pox in children and Herpes zoster in adults and rarely in children.-Nomenclature:...
, Epstein-Barr virus
Epstein-Barr virus
The Epstein–Barr virus , also called human herpesvirus 4 , is a virus of the herpes family and is one of the most common viruses in humans. It is best known as the cause of infectious mononucleosis...
(EBV), and cytomegalovirus
Cytomegalovirus
Cytomegalovirus is a viral genus of the viral group known as Herpesviridae or herpesviruses. It is typically abbreviated as CMV: The species that infects humans is commonly known as human CMV or human herpesvirus-5 , and is the most studied of all cytomegaloviruses...
(CMV).
FDA licensed immunoglobulins
The following immunoglobulins are some of the immunoglubulins currently used for infectious diseaseInfectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
prophylaxis and immunotherapy
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a medical term defined as the "treatment of disease by inducing, enhancing, or suppressing an immune response". Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as activation immunotherapies. While immunotherapies that reduce or suppress are...
, in the United States.
| Disease | Product | Source | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botulism Botulism Botulism also known as botulinus intoxication is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulinum toxin which is metabolic waste produced under anaerobic conditions by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and affecting a wide range of mammals, birds and fish... |
Specific equine IgG | horse Horse The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today... |
Treatment of wound and food borne forms of botulism, infant botulism is treated with human botulism immune globulin (BabyBIG). |
| Cytomegalovirus Cytomegalovirus Cytomegalovirus is a viral genus of the viral group known as Herpesviridae or herpesviruses. It is typically abbreviated as CMV: The species that infects humans is commonly known as human CMV or human herpesvirus-5 , and is the most studied of all cytomegaloviruses... (CMV) |
hyper-immune IVIG | human | Prophylaxis, used most often in kidney Kidney The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and... transplant Organ transplant Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be... patients. |
| Diphtheria Diphtheria Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity... |
Specific equine IgG | horse | Treatment of diphtheria infection. |
| Hepatitis A Hepatitis A Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus , an RNA virus, usually spread the fecal-oral route; transmitted person-to-person by ingestion of contaminated food or water or through direct contact with an infectious person... , measles Measles Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses... |
Pooled human Ig | human serum | Prevention of Hepatitis A and measles infection, treatment of congenital or acquired immunodeficiency Immunodeficiency Immunodeficiency is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent. Immunodeficiency may also decrease cancer immunosurveillance. Most cases of immunodeficiency are acquired but some people are born with defects in their immune system,... . |
| Hepatitis B | Hepatitis B Ig | human | Post-exposure prophylaxis, prevention in high-risk infants (administered with Hepatitis B vaccine Vaccine A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins... ). |
| ITP Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is the condition of having an abnormally low platelet count of no known cause . As most incidents of ITP appear to be related to the production of antibodies against platelets, immune thrombocytopenic purpura or immune thrombocytopenia are terms also used to... , Kawasaki disease Kawasaki disease Kawasaki disease , also known as Kawasaki syndrome, lymph node syndrome and mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, is an autoimmune disease in which the medium-sized blood vessels throughout the body become inflamed. It is largely seen in children under five years of age... , IgG deficiency X-linked agammaglobulinemia X-linked agammaglobulinemia is a rare X-linked genetic disorder that was discovered in 1952 which affects the body's ability to fight infection. XLA is an X-linked disorder, and therefore is more common in males... |
Pooled human IgG | human serum | Treatment of ITP and Kawasaki disease, prevention/treatment of opportunistic infection with IgG deficiency. |
| Rabies Rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms... |
Rabies Ig | human | Post-exposure prophylaxis (administered with rabies vaccine). |
| Tetanus Tetanus Tetanus is a medical condition characterized by a prolonged contraction of skeletal muscle fibers. The primary symptoms are caused by tetanospasmin, a neurotoxin produced by the Gram-positive, rod-shaped, obligate anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani... |
Tetanus Ig | human | Treatment of tetanus infection. |
| Vaccinia Vaccinia Vaccinia virus is a large, complex, enveloped virus belonging to the poxvirus family. It has a linear, double-stranded DNA genome approximately 190 kbp in length, and which encodes for approximately 250 genes. The dimensions of the virion are roughly 360 × 270 × 250 nm, with a mass of... |
Vaccinia Ig | human | Treatment of progressive vaccinia infection including eczema and occular forms (usually resulting from smallpox Smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"... vaccination Vaccination Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate the immune system of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by many pathogens... in immunocompromised individuals). |
| Varicella (chicken-pox) | Varicella-zoster Ig | human | Post-exposure prophylaxis in high risk individuals. |
Passive transfer of cell-mediated immunity
The one exception to passive-humoral immunity is the passive transfer of cell mediated immunity, also called adoptive immunization which involves the transfer of mature circulating lymphocytes. It is rarely used in humans, and requires histocompatibleHistocompatibility
Histocompatibility is the property of having the same, or mostly the same, alleles of a set of genes called the major histocompatibility complex. These genes are expressed in most tissues as antigens, to which the immune system makes antibodies...
(matched) donors, which are often difficult to find, and carries severe risks of graft versus host disease. This technique has been used in humans to treat certain diseases including some types of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and immunodeficiency
Immunodeficiency
Immunodeficiency is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent. Immunodeficiency may also decrease cancer immunosurveillance. Most cases of immunodeficiency are acquired but some people are born with defects in their immune system,...
. However, this specialized form of passive immunity is most often used in a laboratory setting in the field of Immunology
Immunology
Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
, to transfer immunity between "congenic
Congenic
In genetics, two organisms that differ in one locus are defined as congenic or coisogenic.-Generating congenic strains:Congenic strains are generated in the laboratory by mating two inbred strains , and backcrossing the descendants 5-10 generations with one of the original strains, known as the...
", or deliberately inbred
Animal model
An animal model is a living, non-human animal used during the research and investigation of human disease, for the purpose of better understanding the disease without the added risk of causing harm to an actual human being during the process...
mouse strains which are histocompatible.