IMMUNOGLOBULIN IDIOTYPIC SPECIFICITY OF AIDS-ASSOCIATED LYMPHOMAS ANDTHEIR EXPERIMENTAL-MODEL

B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL) occurring in immunocompromised h osts, such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, is a high grade malignancy resistant to regular chemotherapy. To determin e whether immunotherapy with public anti-Ig idiotype antibodies can be used to treat these NHL, the Ig idiotype specificity of six NHL in AI DS patients (AIDS-ML) and 23 B-NHL experimentally induced in immunocom promised mice (SCID mice) was investigated. One of the six AIDS-ML and two of the 23 experimental B-NHL reacted monoclonally with a single p ublic antibody, while one AIDS-ML and three experimental B-NHL reacted polyclonally with two or three different antibodies. The presence of Ig idiotypic polyclonality requires special consideration with regard to the introduction of anti-Ig idiotype immunotherapy in these cases.