[Penicillin-induced immunhaemolytic anaemia. In vitro studies using separated monocytes (author's transl)]

Under certain conditions human monocytes were able to bind and ingest red cell-antibody complexes in vitro. Using penicillincoated red cells and purified monocytes we investigated sera of patients with penicillin allergy. It was shown that sera containing IgG-antibodies against penicillin induced the binding of penicillin-coated red cells to isolated monocytes provided IgG-antibodies of high titer were present. Inhibition and absorption tests demonstrated the specificity of the reaction in terms of IgG-antibodies and the drug. Monocyte binding was also studied in respect to the cross reactivity of penicillin antibodies and cephalosporins. We concluded that antipenicillin-antibodies of the IgG-class were able to induce an immunphagocytosis in vitro, if the drug was present in the test system. The reaction was dependent on the amount of antibodies of the IgG-class.