Congenital immunodeficiency and agranulocytosis (reticular dysgenesia)

A patient is presented who manifested the typical clinical and pathological features of congenital immunodeficiency and agranulocytosis (reticular dysgenesia). Treatment under gnotobiotic conditions enabled the measurement of immunogical parameters up to the 17th week of life with the following results: negative skin test, low response to phytohaemagglutinin, weak response in the mixed leukocyte culture and very few E rosettes. Peripheral lymphocytes and lymphocytes in the lymphatic tissues were markedly decreased. Humoral immunoglobulins and plasma cells in the organs were decreased. The in vitro culture of hemopoietic cells showed a diminished content of myelopoietic progenitor cells ("committed stem cells"). It is concluded that the disease may be primarily a defect of stem cells with regard to differentiation in myelopoiesis or lymphopoiesis.