Some immunological aspects of staphylococcal haematogenous osteomyelitis

Patients with primary (haematogenous) staphylococcal osteomyelitis have been suspected for being deficient in their immune response. Serum levels of the three major circulating immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, and IgM) have been determined in 90 patients with this disease of varying duration and activity and in 100 control subjects. Of 270 measurements in the patient group, 80% fell within or below the normal (control) range. A small group of eight patients, however, were found to have sufficiently large increases in IgM levels to raise the mean value of the whole series to a statistically significnat level. Similarly IgA production was increased in chronic infection. These findings, on the whole, indicate that a majority of patients suffering from primary osteomyelitis may have depression of their normal immune response to infection.