Defective in vitro antibody production in response to pokeweed mitogen and influenza antigen in patients with Hodgkin's disease.

Cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM) from 33 patients with Hodgkin's disease, were stimulated in vitro with pokeweed mitogen (PWM) or influenza antigen. Impaired production of immunoglobulin (Ig) of one or more of the three main classes (IgG, IgM and IgA) in PWM stimulated cultures was found in 22 patients and in 11 patients no Ig of any class was produced. Antibody to influenza virus was detected in PWM stimulated PBM cultures in 13 of 14 normal individuals, but in only four of 25 patients with treated Hodgkin's disease though IgG was produced in 16 of 25. Influenza antigen induced anti-influenza antibody production in 10 of 12 cultures from normal individuals but in only two of 22 from patients. The results confirm our earlier report of defective antibody production in vitro by PBM from patients with Hodgkin's disease and indicate that polyclonally activated production of immunoglobulins of several classes is defective, though in vivo humoral immunity is normal.