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Autovaccines are bacterial preparations derived from non pathogenic autologous bacteria of human origin. In the course of microbiological therapy these individual bacterial vaccines are mainly used in conditions of chronic inflammatory disorders of the respiratory or gastrointestinal tract as well as allergic diseases. Being autologous bacterial preparations from the patients own flora the control of batch variabilities of these individual products represents a special challenge for the manufacturer. A flow cytometric method suitable for batch control of autovaccines is described. The method is based upon the determination of the de novo expression of the CD69 antigen on different leucocyte subpopulations in whole blood cultures after preincubation of cells with different batches of autovaccines. Thus, manufacturers of autovaccines and other microbial preparations are able to reliably control batch variability and immunological activity of such products in accordance with drug regulations. The results of this study highlight the pharmaceutical quality of the individual therapeutic agent autovaccine.

Costimulatory stromal receptors were identified in thymuses and myasthenia gravis (MG)-associated thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) by immunohistochemistry. ICAM-1 occurred in areas with medullary or cortical differentiation of TETs and thymuses. B7 and LFA-3, absent in the normal cortex, were hyperexpressed in cortical type TETs. VCAM-1, confined to endothelium and dendritic cells in cortex and medulla, was focally expressed by epithelial cells of a medullary thymoma. We suggest that aberrantly expressed costimulatory molecules may contribute to the pathogenesis of paraneoplastic MG by an intratumorous activation of mature T cells.

Monoclonal anti-CD4 antibodies have been introduced into the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. A depletion of CD4+ T-cells down to 8% of the origin level (p less than 0.0001) followed the antibody application. Moreover, there was a significant reduction of blood monocytes to 30% (p less than 0.001). A reduced lymphocyte proliferation induced by antigens or mitogens was found in parallel. Prior to treatment, monocyte-macrophage activation in rheumatoid arthritis was signified by an increased expression of HLA-class II antigens and the CD14 antigen, and by an increased production of neopterin and interleukin-1. Anti-CD4 treatment resulted in a significant reduction of elevated levels of neopterin, beta 2-microglobulin in serum as well as IL-1 production in vitro.