Insulin antibodies induced by bovine insulin therapy.

Insulin antibodies are detectable in the sera of most patients within 3-4 months of starting treatment with conventional bovine insulins. Various factors determine the immunogenicity of insulin preparations including the genetic background of the recipient. This causes wide variation in response. Solid phase absorption studies as well as competitive binding in fluid phase indicate that the antibodies formed are almost always specific for determinants shared by the endogenous human molecule. This has important implications for the metabolic effect of insulin antibodies in vivo as well as for mechanisms of autoantibody production in man.