ANTIIDIOTYPIC ANTIBODIES TO POLIOVIRUS ANTIBODIES IN COMMERCIAL IMMUNOGLOBULIN PREPARATIONS, HUMAN SERUM, AND MILK

Our previous studies have suggested that fetal antibody production can be induced by maternal anti-idiotypic antibodies transferred to the f etus via the placenta. We tested commercial Ig, sera, and milk for the presence of anti-idiotypic antibodies to poliovirus type 1, using aff inity chromatography combined with ELISA systems and virus neutralizat ion techniques. Our results indicate that commercial Ig, serum, and mi lk samples contain antibodies recognizing idiotypic determinants on an tibodies to poliovirus. Several lines of evidence support this conclus ion. Thus, in an ELISA with poliovirus as a solid phase, binding of sp ecific antibodies could be inhibited by addition of an eluate from the Ig preparation containing anti-idiotypic antibodies against polioviru s type 1. Also, antiidiotypic antibodies from pooled human Ig, serum, and colostrum samples against poliovirus bound directly to solid-phase -attached MAb against poliovirus type 1. In addition, in a competitive inhibition ELISA, where antiidiotypic antibodies isolated from the Ig preparation competed with the poliovirus antigen for binding to monoc lonal or polyclonal idiotypic antibodies on the solid phase, inhibitio n of antigen binding was seen at low antigen concentrations. When sing le-donor serum or milk was used, this inhibition was even more pronoun ced and could be demonstrated at almost all antigen concentrations. Th e finding that anti-idiotypes are present in maternal serum and milk i mply, in agreement with our previous studies, that anti-idiotypes may actively induce a specific immune response in the fetus without previo us exposure to the antigen by being transferred across the placenta or by being passively transferred to the newborn via mother's milk.