Hyperimmunoglobulinaemia associated with absent suppressor cells, aplastic anaemia and trisomy 8

A child with aplastic anaemia and trisomy 8 in bone marrow cells was observed to have extremely high levels of circulating immunglobulins. Concanavalin A (con A)-inducible suppressor cells were assessed in the patient's peripheral blood by their ability to suppress both the proliferative response of normal allogeneic cells activated in a two-way mixed lymphocyte culture with and without added phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and the ability of normal allogeneic cells to produce the lymphokine leucocyte inhibitory factor when activated by PHA. Con A consistently failed to induce suppressor cells from the patient but not from control lymphocytes. It is suggested that the lack of suppressor cells may account for uncontrolled B-cell proliferation and associated hypergammaglobulinaemia.