HUMORAL IMMUNE-RESPONSE IN INFECTION

The recognition of humoral immunity led to passive, then active immunization, the development of diagnostic methods, and the understanding of cellular mechanisms, which determine the whole of the host response to infection. In the area of antibacterial immunity, the possibility of passive immunization against gram-negative septicemia has been studied through the use of both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies; a clinical trial of human monoclonal antibody against endotoxin in the treatment of patients with cancer is of particular interest. Human immune response to pneumococcal components as well as diagnostic tests related to tuberculosis and to the detection of culture-negative endocarditis have been described. In the field of virology, fundamental aspects of antibodies to hepatitis B and delta virus and the occurrence of mucosal antibodies to respiratory syncytial virus in normal children and in those with leukemia have been investigated. Approaches have also been made to the production of vaccines against gram-negative intestinal infection, pertussis, meningococcal meningitis, and Plasmodium falciparum.