746 DEFICIENCY OF MONOCYTE MIGRATION INHIBITION FACTOR AND IMMUNE INTERFERON PRODUCTION IN LYMPHOCYTES OF NORMAL NEWBORNS

Abstract

The increased susceptibility of newborns to disseminated infection may result from defective or immature lymphokine production. Thus, we assessed monocyte migration inhibition factor (MIF) and interferon (IF) production of the lymphocytes of 20 newborns (cord blood), 20 1-7 day old neonates, and 20 normal adults. Ficoll-hypaque separated mononuclear cells were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), allogeneic lymphocytes in a mixed leukocyte culture (MLC), or Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV), and supernatants were harvested at optimal times. MIF was assessed by the inhibition of adult mononuclear cell migration under agarose; IF was assessed by micro-dye uptake of human diploid cells after encephalomyocarditis virus challenge. Mean PHA-induced MIF production in cord and newborn lymphocytes was 30 and 10% respectively of adult levels, MLC-induced MIF production was 8 and 5% of adult levels. PHA-induced (immune) IF was produced in only 1 of 20 cord bloods and 3 of 18 newborns in small amounts whereas IF was produced by all adults (mean 225 units ±2 SD). No IF was produced by MLC in newborns, cords or adults. NDV-induced (classical) IF was produced in normal amounts by adult (168±2), cord (200±2), and newborn cells (228±3). These results indicate an abnormality of cellular immunity in newborns not detected by T-cell numbers or transformation indices and suggest a mechanism for viral infection in newborns with concomitant bacterial infections and in patients undergoing graft-versus-host reactions.