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Autoimmune hemolytic anemia caused by IgG lambda-monotypic cold agglutinins of anti-Pr specificity after rubella
1Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Katharinenhospital, Stuttgart, Germany.
Background:
In postinfection cold agglutinin (CA) disease, a relation between CA specificity and the underlying infectious agent has been observed. The induction of anti-I by Mycoplasma pneumoniae and that of anti-i by EBV are well-established examples.
Case Report:
A 5-year-old boy developed severe hemolytic anemia after serologically ascertained rubella infection. Hemolysis was caused by high-titer CAs, which were analyzed by absorption and elution with sialidase-treated RBCs and hemagglutination-inhibition experiments.
Results:
After elimination of normal anti-I and anti-T, the predominant CA was found to be an IgG lambda autoantibody with anti-Pr(1) specificity.
Conclusion:
This case seems to be of interest because it is the first report of severe CA-induced hemolysis after rubella infection, it is the first description of an IgG lambda-monotypic CA, and, along with previous case reports (three established and three suspected cases), it indicates a relationship between rubella infection and the CA specificity anti-PR:
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