Protective Effects of Human Gamma Globulin Preparations Against Experimental Aerosol Infections of Mice with Bordetella pertussis

Abstract

We evaluated the protective effects of the three types of pooled human gammaglobulin preparations (intact: GG, S-sulfonated: GGS, and pepsin-treated: GGP) for intravenous use against experimental aerosol infection of mice with B. pertussis. Gammaglobulin preparations, especially, GG and GGS showed significant protective activity but GGP did not at least as evaluated by survival numbers, body weight gains and repression of leukocytosis. Nutralizing activity for tetanus and diphtheria toxins did not vary among the three types of gammaglobulin preparations, whereas GG and GGS but not GGP possessed neutralizing activity against leukocytosis promoting activity of pertussis toxin. Evaluation of protective activities of GG, GGS, and GGP, prepared from rabbit gammaglobulin highly immunized with purified PT and not containing any and-F-HA and agglutinin antibodies, demonstrated that and-PT-GG and anti-PT-GGS but not anti-PT-GGP protected against experimental infection by B. pertussis. These results suggest that the protective activity was correlated with anti-PT titer but the Fc portion of the gammaglobulin molecule might be necessary for actual protection against whooping cough by B. pertussis.