Excretion of immunoglobulins in Burkitt's lymphoma

IgM was detected in the urines of 4 out of 17 patients with Burkitt's lymphoma. This IgM emerged from Sephadex G 200 column in two different peaks strongly suggesting sub-units of the intact molecule. IgM was not detected in any of the control urines. The total protein excreted in the urine of Burkitt's lymphoma patients is higher than in controls and may be due to renal involvement. Intact IgA and IgG as well as fragments of IgG were present in the urines of all Burkitt patients as well as in controls. Six of 16 Burkitt's lymphoma patients had reduced serum levels of IgG. Four of these also had reduced serum IgM. The low mean concentration of serum IgM confirms our previous studies.