Dermatoglyphics in offspring of women given gamma globulin prophylaxis during pregnancy

The fingertip dermatoglyphic patterns were studied in 93 infants whose mothers had been given gamma globulin (GG) prophylaxis against hepatitis on known gestational dates. The prevalence of infants with whorl patterns on 0-3 fingertips and that of infants with ulnar loops on 9 or 10 fingertips were significantly higher (P < 0.02 and P = 0.01, respectively) in offspring of women given prophylaxis during the first 162 days of pregnancy than in those whose mothers received GG at a later stage of gestation. These findings were particularly prominent in infants who had been exposed to > or = 5 ml of GG in the first 162 days of gestation. In light of these observations, and of previously noted dermatoglyphic changes in offspring of women who had gestational prophylaxis against rubella, it appears that exogenous GG can influence the prenatal development of fingertip skin ridge patterns, and that this influence is responsive to the gestational timing and dosage of GG administered.