MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF INTRAVENOUS IMMUNE SERUM GLOBULIN THERAPY

The rapidly expanding list of possible indications for the use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) must be bewildering to the general pediatrician and infectious disease specialist. Clearly IVIG is the agent of choice in the treatment of the various forms of hypogammaglobulinemia associated with decreased IgG. More recently it has been used with some success in a variety of autoimmune cytopenias and neuromuscular disorders and more recently has been seen in toxin-mediated bacterial infections thought to involve superantigens. Dr. Mark Ballow reviews the potential mechanism involved in the ability of MG to modulate the immune system.