[Autolymphocytotoxins (CoCoCy) in different forms of hepatitis and cirrhosis (author's transl)]

Sera of altogether 282 patients with different forms of hepatitis and cirrhosis were screened for cold reacting complement dependant auto-lympho-cytotoxins (CoCoCy). These antibodies are 19S-IgM-immunoglobins and have no HLA-antigen-specificity. CoCoCy occurred in 48% of the patients with chronic aggressive hepatitis (CAH), in 14% of the patients with chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH) and in intermediate rates in the sera of patients with acute hepatitis. No correlations was found between CoCoCy and hepatitis B-antigen (HB-Ag). CoCoCy could be demonstrated also in 20% of the sera of a HB-Ag-positive and in 6% of a HB-Ag-negative control group. The serum concentration of CoCoCy is low. CoCoCy seems to be of T-cell-specificity and to reflect the overall-immunoreactivity without relation to the specificity of the antigenic stimulus. Thus demonstration of CoCoCy may be of pathogeneic and pathodynamic rather than of diagnostic interest.