Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All ...
  • Videos
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
    • Video Abstracts
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews ...
    • Complement Biology and Therapeutics (May 2025)
    • Evolving insights into MASLD and MASH pathogenesis and treatment (Apr 2025)
    • Microbiome in Health and Disease (Feb 2025)
    • Substance Use Disorders (Oct 2024)
    • Clonal Hematopoiesis (Oct 2024)
    • Sex Differences in Medicine (Sep 2024)
    • Vascular Malformations (Apr 2024)
    • View all review series ...
  • Viewpoint
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Editorials
    • Commentaries
    • Editor's notes
    • Reviews
    • Viewpoints
    • 100th anniversary
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • Reviews
  • Review series
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Video Abstracts
  • In-Press Preview
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Editorials
  • Commentaries
  • Editor's notes
  • Reviews
  • Viewpoints
  • 100th anniversary
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Top
  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal
  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Advertisement

Free access | 10.1172/JCI107148

The Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome: RESULTS OF TRANSFER FACTOR THERAPY

Lynn E. Spitler, Alan S. Levin, Daniel P. Stites, H. Hugh Fudenberg, Bernard Pirofsky, Charles S. August, E. Richard Stiehm, Walter H. Hitzig, and Richard A. Gatti

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Department of Pediatrics, Kaiser-Permanente Medical Group, San Francisco, California 94122

Division of Immunology and Allergy, University of Oregon Medical Center, Portland, Oregon 97201

Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado 80220

Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024

Department of Pediatrics, Kinderspital Zurich, Universitat Kinderklinik, Zurich, Switzerland

Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Find articles by Spitler, L. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Department of Pediatrics, Kaiser-Permanente Medical Group, San Francisco, California 94122

Division of Immunology and Allergy, University of Oregon Medical Center, Portland, Oregon 97201

Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado 80220

Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024

Department of Pediatrics, Kinderspital Zurich, Universitat Kinderklinik, Zurich, Switzerland

Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Find articles by Levin, A. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Department of Pediatrics, Kaiser-Permanente Medical Group, San Francisco, California 94122

Division of Immunology and Allergy, University of Oregon Medical Center, Portland, Oregon 97201

Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado 80220

Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024

Department of Pediatrics, Kinderspital Zurich, Universitat Kinderklinik, Zurich, Switzerland

Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Find articles by Stites, D. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Department of Pediatrics, Kaiser-Permanente Medical Group, San Francisco, California 94122

Division of Immunology and Allergy, University of Oregon Medical Center, Portland, Oregon 97201

Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado 80220

Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024

Department of Pediatrics, Kinderspital Zurich, Universitat Kinderklinik, Zurich, Switzerland

Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Find articles by Fudenberg, H. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Department of Pediatrics, Kaiser-Permanente Medical Group, San Francisco, California 94122

Division of Immunology and Allergy, University of Oregon Medical Center, Portland, Oregon 97201

Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado 80220

Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024

Department of Pediatrics, Kinderspital Zurich, Universitat Kinderklinik, Zurich, Switzerland

Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Find articles by Pirofsky, B. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Department of Pediatrics, Kaiser-Permanente Medical Group, San Francisco, California 94122

Division of Immunology and Allergy, University of Oregon Medical Center, Portland, Oregon 97201

Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado 80220

Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024

Department of Pediatrics, Kinderspital Zurich, Universitat Kinderklinik, Zurich, Switzerland

Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Find articles by August, C. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Department of Pediatrics, Kaiser-Permanente Medical Group, San Francisco, California 94122

Division of Immunology and Allergy, University of Oregon Medical Center, Portland, Oregon 97201

Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado 80220

Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024

Department of Pediatrics, Kinderspital Zurich, Universitat Kinderklinik, Zurich, Switzerland

Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Find articles by Stiehm, E. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Department of Pediatrics, Kaiser-Permanente Medical Group, San Francisco, California 94122

Division of Immunology and Allergy, University of Oregon Medical Center, Portland, Oregon 97201

Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado 80220

Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024

Department of Pediatrics, Kinderspital Zurich, Universitat Kinderklinik, Zurich, Switzerland

Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Find articles by Hitzig, W. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Section of Immunology and Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Department of Pediatrics, Kaiser-Permanente Medical Group, San Francisco, California 94122

Division of Immunology and Allergy, University of Oregon Medical Center, Portland, Oregon 97201

Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado 80220

Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024

Department of Pediatrics, Kinderspital Zurich, Universitat Kinderklinik, Zurich, Switzerland

Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Find articles by Gatti, R. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Published December 1, 1972 - More info

Published in Volume 51, Issue 12 on December 1, 1972
J Clin Invest. 1972;51(12):3216–3224. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI107148.
© 1972 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published December 1, 1972 - Version history
View PDF
Abstract

12 patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome were treated with therapeutic doses of transfer factor in an attempt to induce cellular immunity. Clinical improvement was noted after transfer factor therapy in 7 of the 12 patients treated. Because this disease has a variable course and temporary spontaneous improvement can occur, the observed improvement cannot necessarily be attributed to the transfer factor. However, in two patients repeated remissions consistently followed transfer factor administration on repeated occasions. This included freedom from infections, regression of splenomegaly, and clearing of eczema. An unexpected finding was a decrease in bleeding in 3 of the 10 patients who had bleeding. Conversion of skin reactivity was obtained in all seven patients who clinically seemed to respond to transfer factor. In vitro studies performed after the administration of transfer factor demonstrated that the lymphocytes of the patients now produced migration inhibitory factor in response to appropriate test antigens, but did not undergo increased radioactive thymidine incorporation in response to the same antigens. A defect in the monocyte IgG receptors has been found in certain patients with the disease, and the current study shows that all patients with defective monocyte IgG receptors responded to transfer factor, whereas only one patient with normal receptors showed any response. This test may thus prove to be useful in predicting the results of transfer factor therapy in patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, although evaluation of a larger series of patients will be necessary to confirm this point. We conclude that cellular immunity can be induced, that there appears to be clinical benefit in certain patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome by the use of transfer factor, and that this mode of therapy warrents trial in these patients and others with defects of cellular immunity.

Browse pages

Click on an image below to see the page. View PDF of the complete article

icon of scanned page 3216
page 3216
icon of scanned page 3217
page 3217
icon of scanned page 3218
page 3218
icon of scanned page 3219
page 3219
icon of scanned page 3220
page 3220
icon of scanned page 3221
page 3221
icon of scanned page 3222
page 3222
icon of scanned page 3223
page 3223
icon of scanned page 3224
page 3224
Version history
  • Version 1 (December 1, 1972): No description

Article tools

  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal

Metrics

  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Go to

  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
Advertisement
Advertisement

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts