Immune suppression of hematopoiesis.

Recent evidence suggests that immune mechanisms can injure proliferating hematopoietic precursor cells in the bone marrow. These may involve either humoral antibody or cell-mediated cytotoxic mechanisms. Immune injury can result in a variety of bone marrow failure syndromes. Immunologically induced abnormalities or blood cell production may be restricted to a single series, such as erythrocyte or granulocyte precursors, or may involve several hematopoietic lines; clinical manifestations reflect the cell line or lines that are injured. Immune suppression of hematopoiesis has now been described in pure red cell aplasia, immune panleukopenia, systemic lupus erythematosus, atypical cases of aplastic anemia and miscellaneous other hematologic diseases.