I Antigen in Leukaemic Patients

Abstract

FOLLOWING the report of McGinnis et al. that the red cells of fifteen out of forty patients with leukaemia tested by them had a diminution of I antigen¹, we tested red cells from fifteen patients with acute leukaemia using anti-I sera from the following three persons: (a) a group A patient with M. pneumoniae infection whose serum was obtained at the time of a transient rise of her cold agglutinin titre to 128 at 4° C; (b) a group A patient with the chronic cold agglutinin syndrome who had a cold agglutinin titre of 1,024 at 4° C; and (c) a healthy donor of group Ai who had a cold agglutinin titre of 8 at 4° C. These sera were used after neutralization of isoagglutinin anti-B with group B substance.