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IgG subclasses of cytomegalovirus (CMV) antiviral antibodies were determined in 37 donor-recipient pairs of bone marrow transplants (BMT). Bone marrow transplant recipients, like healthy persons, have a restricted immune reactivity, producing mainly two types of anti-CMV IgG: IgG1 and IgG3. Passively transfused specific antibody subclasses were readily measurable. Take of the transplant could be detected from the production of subclass IgG antiviral antibody 1–3 months after BMT of seronegative recipients with marrow from seropositive donors.

In 65 recipients of marrow from HLA-identical siblings, the death rate from graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) at 1 year was 13, which was significantly less when compared with 50 among 10 recipients of marrow from HLA-non-identical donors (P<0.001 log-rank test). Among recipients of HLA-matched marrow the following was found: patients below 17 years of age had a death rate from GVHD of 4 compared with 32 in elder patients (P<0.01). In patients who received ≥ 3 × 108marrow cells/kg 3 died of GVHD compared with 31 in those receiving fewer marrow cells (P<0.02). Furthermore, death by GVHD was 11 among nonsple-nectomized patients compared with 60 in splenectomized patients (P<0.001). Among all children, and among nonsplenectomized patients, those receiving less than 3x10smarrow cells/kg had a significantly increased death rate by GVHD. The number of T cells or T cell subsets in the marrow graft was not correlated with GVHD or death by GVHD.