[Immunologic diagnosis and therapy in habitual abortion]

It is a crucial and yet unresolved problem of immunology, how the allogeneic fetus can escape the rejection of the maternal immune system. There is a lot of evidence that certain maternal immune reactions at an early stage of gestation are essential for fetal survival, but the precise mechanisms are unknown. Antibodies against fetal histocompatibility antigens are found in healthy pregnant women, whereas they are not demonstrable in the serum of patients with recurrent spontaneous abortions. Furthermore, if antibodies can be induced by leucocyte injections, a high percentage (60 to 85%) of patients have a next pregnancy without complications. In first studies, the passive transfer of antibodies by infusion of intravenous gammaglobulins has shown similar results.